FREE KINDER AT WHERE WE GROW EARLY LEARNING

FREE KINDER AT WHERE WE GROW EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL

The Victorian Government offers free kindergarten funding for eligible three and four-year-old children, which covers 15 hours of kindergarten per week at one Service.

At Where We Grow Early Learning School, your fees will be reduced meaning you get a saving of $2,050 per child per year.

If you are eligible for the Commonwealth Childcare Subsidy (CCS) it will be applied first. That means you will only need to pay the remaining amount after CCS and after the Free Kinder offset. Contact Services Australia (Centrelink) for further information regarding Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

We are here to make early education more affordable for your family. For more information on how the savings will be applied to your fees, please talk directly to the Service’s Executive Management team.

Why enrol your child in Free Kinder at Where We Grow?

Our Free Kinder program is run by passionate and qualified Early Educators which aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework. What your child learns at Where We Grow, will carry with them for life.

  1. Flexible Hours

Sessional preschools are usually run during school terms and school hours only, so taking up Free Kinder at Where We Grow means you can better accommodate busy life schedules with our long day care and extended opening hours. Your child can get extended hours of quality learning and playing beyond what a sessional kindergarten offers.

  1. Nutrition

We offer children nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day, so you don’t have to worry about packing food for your child.

  1. Programs

Your child can enjoy our engaging learning environments, incursions and excursions offered in our programs. This also means your child will not miss out on valuable learning experiences during the school holidays.

  1. School Readiness

Our extensive school readiness program provides children with core skills for a smooth transition to Primary School. At this stage of a child’s development, we can begin to introduce concepts, theories, processes and cycles to encourage children to become intrinsically motivated, innately curious and open-minded young learners.

 

ENROL YOUR CHILD IN FREE KINDER NOW!

Book a tour at a Where We Grow Early Learning School near you. Meet our friendly team and enrol your child in Free Kinder for 2025 now.

Craigieburn Child Care Coming Soon

We are excited to announce we will be opening a brand new early learning centre in Craigieburn in September 2022.

Our brand new Craigieburn child care centre has been custom built for ages 0-6 years!

We offer families premium care and a holistic learning program focused on tailored education for each age and stage.

Our Craigieburn child care centre will offer families:

Enquire today to secure your spot!

New Extra-Curricular Activities

Introducing our new extra curricular activities!

We now have pottery classes by Paint a Pot Narre Warren on Mondays and Karate by Shuzoku Martial Arts Karate Narre Warren on Wednesday!

These are included in our daily fees!

Enquire Today!

Stay and Play Sessions

Join us for Easter themed play sessions at our Narre Warren centre. Activities include Easter themed activites, craft and fun!

This free session includes activities and morning tea. Suited for ages 10 months – 4 years

These sessions are a great way to introduce your child to an early learning environment, while having lots of sensory fun!

If you can’t attend, please make sure you cancel your ticket so it can go to someone on the waitlist.

Spots are limited!

Friday 22nd April 10am – 11am

Friday 29th April 10am – 11am

BOOK YOUR SPOT HERE

April Offer - Hop On In to Get $300 Voucher

Enrol with us across April and receive a $300 Woolworths Group Voucher. Simply complete our online enrolment form and pay the $50 enrolment fee by the end of the month to qualify. T&C’s Apply (See below).

For more information, please speak with Heleina our Centre Manager or call 1300 991 991.

Voucher T&Cs

One voucher per family, voucher is provided four weeks after commencement of care, care must start by 30.6.2022. Enrolment form and fee must be completed and paid by 31.4.2022.

Voucher will be emailed to parent’s email once conditions have been met.

Changes to Child Care Subsidy

Did you know that (CCS Childcare Subsidy) is changing this month?

There are two significant changes to CCS.

Annual Cap

The annual cap for all families who receive CCS will be removed.

From 10 December 2021, the annual cap for all families earning over $190,015 (2021–22 terms) will be removed. This gives families more choice about work and care.

If a family has already reached the CCS annual cap before 10 December their CCS may have stopped. Services Australia will automatically reassess their CCS entitlement for this time. They will back pay CCS for affected sessions of care.

Families with more than one child in care

From 7 March 2022, families with more than one child aged 5 or under in care will get a higher subsidy for their second child and younger children.

The standard rate child will get the standard CCS rate. This is usually the eldest CCS-eligible child aged 5 or under in the family. Younger children will get a higher subsidy.

Families may be eligible if they:

  • earn less than $354,305
  • have more than one child aged 5 or under in child care.

Eligible higher rate children will receive a 30% higher subsidy, up to a maximum 95%.

Families will continue to receive their income tested CCS rate for all children. Children eligible for the higher rate will have the increase automatically included in their CCS percentage reported to services.

For further information about the changes to CCS click here.

Getting started with us

We are excited to welcome your family to ours and that you have chosen Where We Grow to partner with you on your child’s learning journey. We want to make sure that your child’s transition to care is as smooth as possible. We offer families orientation sessions so you and your child feel more comfortable with our learning environment and education team.

Orientation Sessions

We invite all families to attend an orientation process before commencing at our centres, which is focused on the individual needs of each child and assists them to adjust into a new environment.

For some children it may be helpful to start the child with shorter periods of time in care, starting with half days for the first few days, than gradually increasing to a full day.  We encourage parents/careers to bring their child, and stay with them at the centre before commencing their first day. Ongoing, open communication and feedback with our families, provides a support framework for new children settling in.

What to bring?

Each day your child will need the following:

Please label all items with your child’s name.

Other items for nursery aged children may be required; your Centre Manager will be able to provide you a list upon enrolment.

At our centre we provide nappies, wipes and sunscreen.

If you have any further questions, our friendly Centre Managers will be able to answer your questions.

First Day at Where We Grow

Your first day at Where We Grow is an important milestone for you and your child. Every child settles into care differently and it can take 6 weeks for children to settle and feel comfortable, it is a journey for everyone!

Drop off and pick up:

On the first day, try and arrive the normal time that you would be dropping off, this helps establish a consistent routine. Upon arrival, families will be assisted to sign in their child on the ipads in the foyer, find their child’s locker and accompany your child into the room. The room leader will settle the child by offering breakfast if it is early or introducing them to an experience in the room. It is important to always say goodbye to your child at drop-off and re-assure them that you will be back later in the day to pick them up. This helps them have a sense of security rather than quickly dropping them off.

Separation Anxiety:

Separation anxiety is when the child is distressed when their parent (or loved one) departs. Children’s adjustment into the childcare centre may vary. Some children take only a day or so to feel at home, whilst other children may take several weeks or months. Try not to worry if your child is not settling. It is a new experience for both of you and one, which must be handled consistently. Always feel free to phone or to talk the staff about your child’s day. Always say goodbye and tell them that you will be back in the afternoon to pick them up. Give them hug and kiss before departing. Our Educator’s will communicate via our parent app, where you will be able to receive updates and photos on how your child’s day is progressing.

Meet the Team at Narre Warren

Our team at Narre Warren is passionate and experienced.

Heleina
Area Manager

My favourite part of Early Childhood Education is to witness and celebrate both children and educators’ successes and growth and utilise the power of encouragement to build individuals’ self-esteem. Each child is unique and has their own personality, strengths and weaknesses. By understanding and encompassing this, we can not only develop on educational outcomes and goals, but we can also ensure they are engaged and flourishing within their environment.

We understand just how important your children are to you, and we take our responsibilities very seriously when caring for them. I hold a Diploma of Children’s Services, Child Protection and First Aid. I also hold a Diploma of Endorsed Enrolled Nursing and a certificate in Raising Good Kids by Dr Kaylene Henderson. I have been working in the industry since 2009.

Simone

2IC / Pedagogical and Practice Leader

Simone small

My approach to Early Childhood Education is to provide an environment where children, families, colleagues and the community feel welcome and respected. I am passionate about creating and teaching inclusivity and embed this in daily practice. I continually work towards building on my skills and knowledge to ensure that I provide holistic curriculums for children.

Working with children and local communities is so rewarding. In my 12 years experience in the industry, I have had the pleasure of working in various roles and learning from exceptional people. Educating children and working in partnership with families and communities has brought me so much joy, being part of a child’s learning journey is truly a privilege. As an educator it is part of my role to actively support children to feel empowered to take the steps needed in their own development and understandings.

Sarah

Early Childhood Teacher

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am very excited to be a part of the Where We Grow, Narre Warren team as the Early Childhood Teacher. I believe that every child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring and stimulating environment where they can develop physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally. I also believe that it is important to remember that children are individuals who bring with them a range of experiences, interests, and abilities, which will inform their learning. Therefore, it is my role and responsibility as a teacher to create an environment where each child can meet their full potential. I love to get the children’s input and their families in what the children know and want to learn. I look forward to creating a homely environment where the children feel safe and supported to learn and develop.

Natasha

Early Childhood Teacher

Hi I’m Natasha, the ECT In preschool 1. I’ve been working in Early childhood education for the past four years in 3 and 4-year-old kinder rooms. I’ve graduated from Monash university in 2017 with a Master of teaching and I was teaching in primary school overseas prior to coming to Australia. I come from a family of teachers and teaching has always been very close to my heart from a very young age. Teaching in early childhood for me means to support, encourage, and promote children’s learning while nurturing their individual sense of belonging, being and becoming. My husband and I have a one year old baby boy, who keeps us busy every day! I also have two dogs Milo and Archie and we love walking them on the weekends! I look forward to meeting your lovely families and working with you and your children!

Stephanie

Lead Educator

Hi I’m Steph, and I’ve been working in the childcare industry for 8 years! I have worked across 4 centres as a room leader for most of my career, and I love being able to be a part of every child’s learning and development. I hold each child I care for so close to my heart and hope to make even a small impact on their life.
Outside of work I recently got married, I have a puppy called Tilly and In my spare time I love to cook, visit the beach or read a good Book.

Emily

Lead Educator

My name is Emily and I have been working in the Early Childhood Education and Care industry for 4 ½ years. During this time I have been an assistant educator in Nursery, Toddlers, Pre-Kinder and Kindergarten and have been a lead educator in Toddlers and Pre-Kinder. What I love about working in this industry is getting to watch children hit their milestones, grow, learn and develop through play based and age-appropriate learning in both an indoor and outdoor environment. For me, building strong bonds and relationships with families and children is the foundation of creating a warm and friendly environment where both families and children feel welcomed, safe, secure and supported.

Samantha

Lead Educator

In over four years in the industry, most of my experience in early childhood has been with nursery and toddler aged children. During these tender ages, I believe it is so important for children to feel secure in their surroundings so that they can thrive and navigate their own learning to discover their individual personalities. My favourite thing to do with children is have messy sensory fun like enjoy some water play and some natural slime or playdough as it stimulates their curiosity and cognitive thinking.
In my spare time, I enjoy walking my dog, taking my jet ski to the beach for a ride or going out for a nice meal with some friends/family.

Child Care Subsidy

Our centres are registered with the Commonwealth Government for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Families can access fee assistance from the Government towards the cost of fees.

The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a payment made by the Australian Government to help families with the cost of quality child care and early education. This is paid directly to our centres to reduce your weekly fees.

The CCS is means-tested and paid directly to service providers, who then pass that fee reduction onto families.

Am I eligible to receive CCS?

You may need to meet some requirements to receive the Child Care Subsidy. These include:

Calculating the CCS

Our enquiries team are able to do an estimate for you, please call them on 1300 991 991

How to apply for CCS?

  1. Set up your MyGov account and link your Centrelink account.
  2. Go to Centrelink and select Payment and Claims, click Make a Claim Under Families, click Get Started.
  3. When you claim a payment, supporting documents will be required to support your claim.
  4. Once your claim is processes, you will need to confirm your enrolment in your Centrelink account before CCs is paid.