What is kindergarten education in Victoria?
Young children may be involved in a range of formal and informal experiences such as playgroup, family day care, occasional care and childcare. Kindergarten is often the first step into a more formal learning environment.
Most kindergartens in Victoria operate in purpose-built facilities and are managed by volunteer parent committees; by local government; cluster managers; independent schools or school councils; or they may operate as part of a long day care facility. Kindergartens may also operate other programs for young children such as extended care, lunch link, activity groups and playgroups.
In Victoria, kindergarten has traditionally been the year prior to school entry. Over recent years kindergarten has included one year of funded kindergarten (the year prior to school entry) and an unfunded year (often referred to as three-year-old kindergarten).
Kindergarten attendance is not compulsory and your child is eligible for a funded year of kindergarten if they are four by 30 April of that year. The Victorian Government provides funding for all eligible children to access a kindergarten program in the year before school entry.
[back to top] | What is the kindergarten fees subsidy?
The purpose of the kindergarten fee subsidy is to make fees affordable for eligible low-income families and to promote ‘participation’.
An organisation is eligible to receive the fee subsidy for each child who meets the following criteria:
- Is eligible for a funded program
- Individually holds or has a parent/guardian who holds a Commonwealth health Care Card or a Commonwealth Pensioner Concession card or Visa 786/785.
- The child is a triplet or quadruplet on their birth certificate.
On 1 January 2008, the department began paying funded orgnisations offering a kindergarten program $182.50 per term for enrolled children eligible for the subsidy.
For more information about the fees subsidy, go to
www.office-for-children.vic.gov.au/childrens-services/kindergarten-programs/kindergarten-fee-subsidy-help-with-kindergarten-for-eligible-families.
[back to top] | What is an incorporated association?
Incorporated associations are usually small bodies of people or clubs that wish to gain legal status. Incorporation offers some protection for the organisation’s office bearers from the debt and liabilities incurred by the association as long as the association does not trade or make a profit for its members. Incorporation is voluntary, and once incorporated the Associations Incorporated Act 1981 provides a standard for operation.
The process of incorporation creates an association from a group of individuals. An incorporated body has a legal existence entirely separate from its members. The main benefits of incorporation for a group are:
- Providing a set of rules by which the association will operate including a statement of purpose-which defines the purpose of the association.
- The incorporated association does not cease to exist if its current members leave or if it changes direction. An incorporated body continues beyond the life of the individual members.
- The group can own assets, sue or be sued and enter into contracts in its own right. An incorporated body is a legal entity.
- The legal liability for the group’s debts is usually limited to the assets of the group or to the contribution members may have agreed to, provided in the rules of the association. An incorporated body provides limited liability for its members. Beyond this, the personal assets of individual members are not at risk, unless personal negligence can be proven against them; they continue to operate knowing that there is no money to pay the bills; or they have signed personal guarantees for their association.
For more information refer to Associations Incorporation Act 1981 and CAV at www.consumer.vic.gov.au or telephone 1300 361 673.
[back to top] | Who manages kindergartens in Victoria?
Community-managed kindergartens in Victoria are generally an Incorporated Association managed by a committee of volunteer parents and interested community members who are elected at the Annual General Meeting. The committee members dedicate many hours to ensure the centre operates in the best interests of the children and families within the community, is responsible for the legal (including licensing and funding requirements), financial, and employment aspects of the kindergarten.
Kindergartens may be managed as part of a larger body such as local government, a kindergarten cluster manager, religious organisations, schools or community organisations.
Kindergartens in these situations may still be separately incorporated and therefore operate with a committee of management (often referred to as the site committee) but these committees have limited responsibilities. Employment and licensing are usually the responsibility of the larger body. Some committees in this situation operate in an advisory capacity and all responsibilities are managed by the larger body.
For more information about cluster management, www.office-for-children.vic.gov.au/childrens-services/management.
[back to top] | What does the management committee do?
A committee of management is responsible for all centre operations and is required to:
- Ensure systems are in place for the kindergarten to operate on a daily basis and from year to year (policies and procedures).
- Appoint and support staff.
- Develop and monitor budgets.
- Promote the kindergarten.
- Establish processes for parents to have input into the centre.
- Keep up to date with current legislation and changes in the industry.
- Maintain adequate records.
- Ensure licensing and funding requirements are met.
Where a kindergarten is part of a larger cluster, management will be undertaken by the cluster which may include representatives from individual kindergartens or local government.
In these cases the role of the parent is different and includes support for the day-to-day operation of the kindergarten and to manage fundraising.
Where the committee is not the employer of staff, it is important for the committee to work closely with the employer in managing the kindergarten but not to undertake any of the employer’s responsibilities.
[back to top] | How do I join a committee?
Any parent who has a child enrolled at the kindergarten - which is an incorporated association - is eligible to nominate for the parent committee. The process and terms of nomination will vary depending on the constitution of the individual centre.
If you are interested in becoming a committee member, contact the president or secretary of the current committee and offer your help and support.
Parents of children enrolled at kindergartens which are part of a larger body may be able to be involved as a representative of the kindergarten at the board level or as a member of the site committee. Speak to a current parent or staff member regarding these options as they will vary from group to group.
Being part of the committee enables you to be more involved in your child’s kindergarten and gives you direct input into the decision making of the centre.
Participation as a member of the committee is a rewarding, though time consuming experience. Participation enables the development of skills such as financial management, effective staff relationships, marketing, fundraising and meeting procedures.
[back to top] | Where can committees find help?
Kindergarten Parents Victoria provides
- An unlimited telephone and email support and advisory service to members.
- Limited telephone support and advice to non member centres which are community managed and operating a funded kindergarten program.
- A range of training programs to provide parents with the necessary practical information and resources to undertake their committee role.
- A comprehensive range of resources to provide the necessary practical support for committees.
Three key resources which are available to members are - KPV Employer Management Manual, which guides the committee in management decisions and employment responsibilities.
- KindaWorks is a CD Rom which includes KPV's Model Policies and appendices from the Employer Management Manual.
- CommitteeWorks is a DVD which includes five chapters on a range of governance and management issues, a resource guide and workshop questions
[back to top] | What is the registered child care benefit?
Child Care Benefit (CCB) is a family subsidy paid by the Australian Government to reduce the cost of childcare or kindergarten fees. Working families using registered care are entitled to minimum rate CCB.
Registered childcare is care provided by grandparents or other relatives, friends or nannies that are registered as carers with the Australian Government’s Family Assistance Office (FAO). Kindergartens and preschools can also register with the FAO so that eligible families can claim the minimum rate CCB. This will reduce the annual cost of kindergarten by hundreds of dollars.
[back to top] | Who is eligible to claim CCB?
Both parents (or if only one parent, that parent) must meet the ‘work/training/study test’ at some time during a week to get registered CCB. No minimum number of hours is required.
To satisfy the work/training/study test for registered care the parent(s) only need to have a work, or work related commitment at some point during the week, or to have an exemption from this requirement. No minimum number of hours is required.
A work related commitment can be one, or a combination of, the following activities:
- Paid work or self employment.
- Setting up a business.
- Training or studying.
- Looking for work.
- Voluntary work to improve your work skills.
How to register your organisation for CCB
Contact Centrelink telemarketing on 1300 36 76 76 and request form FA019 “Registered Child Care Provider Application”. Complete the organisation registration and take (or send/fax) the form to your nearest Family Assistance Office.
The registration form asks for the organisation’s licence number and expiry date. Registration for CCB needs to be renewed at the same time as the centre’s licence to operate as a children’s service is renewed with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
[back to top] | THE CENTRE MUST BE REGISTERED FOR FAMILIES TO CLAIM
How can families claim the fee benefit?
Families claim CCB by completing a Claim form, available from their local Family Assistance Office. (A Family Assistance Office is usually located in a Medicare or Centrelink office.) Alternatively download the “Claim for Child Care Benefit for registered care” form here.
Receipts for fees paid, which include certain information, must be included with the claim form.
Receipts
Organisation can use Family Assistance Office (FAO) receipt books (free of charge) or their own receipts. KPV has prepared a template to simplify this process. Receipts can be provided weekly, monthly, term by term or annually. Providing two receipts per year reduces the administrative workload.
The receipt template (worksheets Term 1 and 2 and Term 3 and 4) has all the required information and will calculate the weekly fee for you (see instructions worksheet).
If you have any questions relating to Child Care Benefit for Registered Care, contact the Family Assistance Office on 13 61 50 or visit their website at www.familyassist.gov.au.
[back to top] | What is fundraising?
Fundraising is more than just raising money.
A fundraising program is important for your service because it provides:
- Families and the wider community the opportunity to show that they really value the education of children.
- An opportunity for the service to market itself, and to raise the profile of early childhood education.
- A chance for kindergarten families to become friends.
- The prospect to raise money.
Fundraising at your centre
Fundraising is an important component of many centres’ income. The money raised from fundraising often covers a shortfall that is left in the budget after government grants and fees are accounted for.
When formulating a budget, it is wise to keep fundraising separate from the general income and expenditure budgets. This means that you will be able to cover the day-to-day running of your service (eg. staff salaries), even if you do not meet your fundraising targets.
Fundraising is often the biggest area of vulnerability. This is because the majority of fundraising money comes in the form of cash, so it is important that processes and procedures for the correct handling of money are put in place. This not only protects the reputation of the individual fundraisers, but also protects your service’s reputation in the community.
When handling the fundraising money, there must be a paper trail for everything - transparency is the key. There should always be two people who count the money together and a form should be filled out to record the details of each activity. For more information about fundraising, refer to Fundraising Made Simple.
Six steps to conduct a successful fundraiser – checklist
| 1 | Choose your fundraising activities carefully. Every fundraising project should be based on its own budget. Keep records of all income and expenditure to ensure the activity generates adequate surplus to justify the workload. For example, selling windcheaters for $10 each when they cost $8 is not a high return if only 20 windcheaters are sold.
Where money is received by the service, make sure that receipts are given. All payments should be by cheque and details recorded. | | 2 | Run one or two fundraisers each year and make sure that they are done well. Don’t organise lots of little activities and only do them half-well. | | 3 | Develop a step-by-step plan of implementation for each event. Time and effort invested in pre-planning will ensure that the process will run smoothly. | | 4 | Identify and allocate all tasks at the planning stage. Make sure that all people involved in bringing the event to life are well briefed about the task and that the objectives and deadlines are adhered to. | | 5 | Handle all money carefully. Always issue receipts when money is received by the kindergarten. All payments should be by cheque (where possible) and details recorded. | | 6 | Keep things fun - it will keep everyone enthusiastic and on-track. | What is a cluster manager?
Cluster managers are early childhood organisations managing a number of early childhood services and may be community-based or local government. [back to top] | | |
