KU Sutherland Preschool

677 Old Princes Highway
SUTHERLAND NSW 2232
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  • Monday to Friday 8:00am - 4:00pm
Preschoolers NSW Fee Relief – Childcare

Our Program and Approach

At our centre, childhood is celebrated. When they play and explore, children's imagination and curiosity is sparked – they enjoy learning, and are inspired to continue learning more.

At KU Sutherland, we believe that the first five years of a child’s life are significant for their future growth and development, and we aim to help all children achieve their potential in their own individual way.

We embrace the values of the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Framework, which are reflected in our interactions, curriculum planning and documentation. Our aim is to create an environment where all children feel secure and confident, and develop a sense of belonging.

We deliver a play-based learning program that builds on children’s interests and strengths, and acknowledge children as active contributors to their learning. Developmentally appropriate learning experiences are provided to encourage exploration, creativity and experimentation and extend on children’s existing knowledge.

At KU Sutherland, we pride ourselves on flexibility by offering extended preschool hours and opening over school holidays to promote convenience for families, and greatly value the strong relationships between our staff, children and families. We look forward to the opportunity of including your family in the life of our centre.


Our Special Interest

In addition to the high quality well-rounded programs we offer, all KU centres are also encouraged to develop an area of interest.

At KU Sutherland, our special interest is sustainability and creating natural environments.

We incorporate this into our program through the implementation of the ‘reuse, reduce, recycle’ mantra into our curriculum and teaching experiences. We have also recently developed a new garden space out the front of the centre which the children and families are very involved in. We are working with the children to reduce our consumption of resources including energy, water and paper based products.

We feel that the children benefit from this interest because it teaches them sustainable practices from a young age which will translate into their home, childhood and adult lives. It is also engaging children with nature in a technology orientated world. We are conveying our respect for the natural landscape, and passing this on to our children.


Our Quality


Our centre has been independently assessed by the NSW Department of Education under the National Quality Standards, and are proud to be rated as Exceeding the National Quality Standard.


However what matters most is what our families think...

“I would like to continue to say how incredibly grateful we are for all the love, care and attention you express with Allira. She treasures you all and your consistent, responsive and respectful approach is helping her to feel safe and confident. Thank you.” – KU Sutherland parent
“Two of my three children have attended KU Sutherland Preschool. Both have been nurtured not only educationally, but also emotionally and socially and the time spent at KU Sutherland has given them a great head start for their life at school. I greatly look forward to when my third child will be attending.” – KU Sutherland parent

Our Awards

The KU Sutherland Team were acknowledged with a 'Making the KU Difference in Commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' Award in 2022. In particular, the award recognised the team's work to respectfully and consistently to deliver the Dharawal Language Program which provides children and educators solid foundations for understanding, respecting and learning the Traditional local language.

The Making the KU Difference Awards were introduced a number of years ago, as a way of acknowledging KU staff who have worked above and beyond their normal duties to make a significant contribution to KU.


Our Environment

Each KU centre is unique. The best outcomes for children are created within relationships and interactions between children and staff, and children and their families, not within four walls. We work hard to create beautiful, interesting, homelike learning environments for children - whatever our setting.

KU Sutherland has proudly been serving the local community for over fifty years.

Our playground is designed to maximise the use of the natural environment and allow children to play and explore as they would in their own backyard. We offer stimulating activities that arouse children’s curiosity and encourage them to choose from a variety of planned experiences, expanding their learning potential.

Our playground includes natural elements such as sand, water, grass, mud, leaves and twigs, and we also offer gross motor experiences such as climbing, jumping and physical play. We foster the holistic development of each child so they feel inspired to create, imagine and play.


Our Reconciliation Action Plan

KU was proud to launch its inaugural Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2016. At KU Sutherland, we began our journey to develop our centre’s RAP in 2018 and we are proud to present it here.


Other Features

Child Care Subsidy
Designed Centre
Extended Hours
Hat and Sunscreen
Transition to School
Public Transport
Play-based Learning
Parking
Outdoor Play
Storypark
Allied Health
Education for Sustainability

photo of Tika Laboyrie

Tika Laboyrie

Director

Tika is a university qualified early childhood teacher with over 10 years’ experience working in the early childhood sector. Tika is passionate about working at an Exceeding service and strongly values the natural environment. Tika is passionate about sustainability and committed to safeguarding children and providing inclusive environments that support all children’s abilities.

"As a Director, I believe it is my role and responsibility to empower my team, embed high quality practices, and inspire educators through professional knowledge and critical reflection. I believe that children are active constructivists in their own learning and will thrive in play-based learning environments that reflect their interests, culture, and identity. I strongly value the natural environment and believe that children learn through problem solving, discovery and inquiry. I am extremely passionate about documentation and strive to provide curriculums that demonstrate positive outcomes for all children and are challenging, stimulating and adopt a holistic approach to learning."

Our Team

Our team of early childhood educators are qualified, experienced, caring and highly motivated. All hold specialist qualifications in early childhood education. We believe that the positive interactions children have with our staff are the most important component of our high quality program.

Our staff are a refreshing mix of ages, and many have been at KU Sutherland for over five years and boast a wealth of experience. We are a dedicated and professional group committed to supporting children and their families in the community.

The daily fee for 2024 at KU Sutherland Preschool is: $111

This is the full daily fee. If you are entitled to Child Care Subsidy, this will reduce the daily fee you are charged.

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, KU has remained very proudly a not-for-profit provider of quality education for more than 125 years. In the past, KU has taken great pride in offering the very best services with minimal increased fees wherever possible. However this year is different, escalating operating costs have meant that in 2024 we are forced to increase fees at a higher rate than we would normally.

The fee increase will ensure we can continue to improve the quality of our services and invest in our highly skilled teachers and educators. We recognise our staff are the heart of KU as they build strong nurturing relationships with children and families whilst continuing to provide a high-quality learning program. These are vital factors that contribute to what is most important to us all – the best outcomes for children.

Overall, KU services hold the highest ratings across the National Quality Standard, with 82% of our services rated either Excellent or Exceeding, compared to the sector benchmark of 45%

KU does not distribute our profits to shareholders or send them offshore.

About Child Care Subsidy

Child Care Subsidy is the main payment to assist families with the costs of childcare. It is paid directly to the childcare provider and passed onto families as a fee reduction wherever families meet the criteria. The level of subsidy you receive, as well as the number of hours you will be subsidised, depends on your individual family’s circumstances.

If you do not already have one, you will need a MyGov account linked to Centrelink to claim any subsidy you may be eligible for, and to find out more information, please contact Centrelink on 136 150 or visit https://www.dese.gov.au.

NSW Start Strong Fee Relief

From 2024, the NSW Government is providing additional fee relief funding, based on $2,110 per eligible 4 year old child attending a preschool program within a long day care service. This funding is applied as a weekly credit to the gap fee after CCS has been applied or to full fees where a family does not receive CCS. The Start Strong fee relief will not impact CCS entitlements.

If your child is 3 years old and not yet 4 years old on, or before 31 July 2024 and enrolled at an eligible long day care service, you will receive up to $500 in fee relief.

Start Strong fee relief funding is for children who are 4 years old on or before 31 July 2024, and can only be accessed in one service. This could either be in a community preschool or long day care service. If you have a child who may be eligible, please discuss this with your service Director.

The NSW Department of Education requires parents to sign the ‘Fee Relief Declaration and Consent’ form at the time of enrolment. Your eligibility for Start Strong fee relief Funding is conditional upon signing this form.