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Kindergarten services

Kindergarten services have a proud tradition of providing quality early childhood education in Queensland for more than 100 years.

Services generally offer two kindergarten programs a week with a maximum of 22 children participating in each.

While opening hours vary from service to service, many offer programs for six hours a day, for example from 8.45am to 2.45pm, five days a fortnight during each school term.

All services displaying the kindergarten program identifier have been approved by the Queensland Government. They provide a learning program for children in the year before Prep taught by a qualified early childhood teacher for at least 600 hours a year, such as 15 hours a week for 40 weeks.

Kindergarten services charge parents fees, and often fundraise to complement State Government funding.

Kindergarten services are generally non-profit organisations administered by a volunteer parent management committee or operated by non-profit organisations with parent advisory committees. Some non-state schools operate kindergarten services.

Services are a member of one of five central governing bodies which administer government funding and support their members to provide quality and inclusive kindergarten programs:

To ensure all Queensland children can participate in a kindergarten program, the Government is establishing extra kindergarten services in areas where they are needed most, and funding long day care services to deliver kindergarten programs.

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This page was last reviewed on 10 May 2012