KU Chester Hill Children's Centre

157-159 Waldron Road
CHESTER HILL NSW 2162
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  • Monday to Friday 7:00am - 5:30pm
Babies Toddlers Preschoolers NSW Fee Relief – Childcare
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About This Centre Our Team Fees

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 Chester Hill, we understand our families and children come from a variety of cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds. We believe careful consideration and respect is required for various approaches in developing our program and communicating with our families about their child’s development.

We implement a program that is flexible, developmentally appropriate and where new experiences are built on earlier experiences and the children’s own interest. Such activities are incorporated into the everyday program and include dress ups, gardening, stories, books, music, cooking or planned visits from parents and family members from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Our learning areas are rich in provisions and opportunities that can offer and expose children to variety, choice, exploration, and engaging and stimulating experiences. They enable children to develop their curiosity, perfect new skills, learn about differences and provide opportunities to ask questions.

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 focus.

At KU Chester Hill we focus on the natural environment and sustainability. We incorporate this into our program through activities such as gardening, cooking, different play experiences in the indoor and outdoor environment, worm farms and lots more.

We feel that the children benefit from our focus area, because when children are here, they are able to spend quality time exploring the natural outdoor environment. Children are able grow their very own fruits and vegetables and when ready, harvest them to use in cooking experiences in the room.

Our Quality


Our centre has been independently assessed by the Department of Education NSW 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...

"We have had the pleasure of sending our children to KU Chester Hill for over seven years. Over that time they have maintained the very highest of standards at all times. My three children have found connections with different staff members who genuinely care about their welfare and are truly interested in their early education. Many of the staff have been there longer than I have, which really creates a great sense of stability for the children (and the parents!). Of course it is the staff that make a childcare centre what it is, however we are also fortunate to have lovely centre facilities, with the rooms being large and bright with natural light. The playground is always interesting for the children and it is constantly being adapted to what the children are interested in. The vegetable garden in particular is such a great addition and gives the children experiences and promotes discussions that they may not get elsewhere. I would not hesitate a moment in recommending KU Chester Hill to any parent who wishes the best in early childhood education and care for their children." - KU Chester Hill parent

"My wife and I greatly appreciate your warmth and kindness that you have shown us during Hugo’s enrollment and his first day. You have exceeded our expectations by a milestone on the very first day and we look forward to having Hugo learn and grow at such a fun, safe and supportive centre! Words can’t express my gratitude." - KU Chester Hill parent

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.

At KU Chester Hill Children’s centre, our playground is designed to maximise the use of the natural environment and allow children to explore nature and discover the natural environment. We want children to be able to dig in the gardens, climb trees, discover and learn about insects and enjoy connecting with nature. The many activities we offer enable children to immerse themselves in the natural elements of their surroundings and feel inspired to create, imagine and play. We also offer stimulating activities that arouse children’s curiosity and encourage them to choose from a variety of planned experiences, expanding their learning potential such as sand, water, bark, grass, leaves and twigs, as well as gross motor experiences such as climbing, jumping and physical play.

Our Awards

In 2020, the team at KU Chester Hill was awarded the 'Making the KU Difference through Sustainability' Award. Jennifer O'Dowd, Director at KU Chester Hill, was awarded the 'Making the KU Difference through Reconciliation' Award.

The Annual KU Difference Awards were introduced a number of years ago, as a way of acknowledging KU staff who have made a significant contribution to KU. These annual awards are open to all KU staff, at any level (either individual staff or a team), who have worked above and beyond their normal duties.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan

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

Other Features

Child Care Subsidy
Cooked Meal
Hat and Sunscreen
Transition to School
Public Transport
Play-based Learning
Parking
Outdoor Play
Nappies
Award
Storypark
photo of Jennifer O'Dowd

Jennifer O'Dowd

Director

Jennifer is a university qualified early childhood teacher with over 18 years’ experience working with children and babies. She has been working at Chester Hill since 2003 and has been with KU Children’s services since 1999. Jennifer has a passion for educating children about the natural environment and exploring what the outdoors has to offer.

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. More than half the educators at KU Chester Hill have been with KU Children’s services for over 10 years.

The educators at KU Chester Hill possess a wide range of qualifications and experience in early childhood services. We have an Early Childhood Teacher five days a week in the 3-5 age group room and four Diploma-trained educators. All other educators hold a Certificate III in early childhood care and education.

In the selection of educators, we seek people from a diverse background who share the philosophies of the centre, enjoy working in a team and have an understanding of the needs of children and families. Our educators work closely together, sharing responsibilities and decision-making and aim to keep in close communication with families at the centre.

The daily fees for 2024 at KU Chester Hill Children's Centre are:

  • Infants: $133
  • Toddlers: $133
  • Preschoolers: $131.50

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 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 www.dese.gov.au.

NSW Start Strong Fee Relief

From 2024, the NSW government has provided 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.

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