KU Corrimal East Preschool

78 Murray Road
EAST CORRIMAL NSW 2518
Get directions
  • Monday to Friday 8:00am - 3:30pm
Preschoolers NSW Fee Relief – Preschool

Our Program and Approach

At KU Corrimal East Preschool, we are dedicated to providing a positive and caring environment where children are enabled to learn and grow.

Our program is developed by our dedicated staff, based on the developmental needs, ideas and individual interests of each child. We have a strong relationship with The University of Wollongong and the Early Start Research Institute, and we are an ‘Early Start Engagement Centre’, which means we engage in research that will influence and improve the quality of early childhood education and care.

At KU Corrimal East Preschool, we are proud of our reputation within the local community, of providing rich education and care that concentrates on individual children in a family-focussed and supportive way.

We have a commitment to implementing the elements of Circle of Security and adapting them to guide the educator’s interactions with children and families. The preschool is also committed to implementing the methods of Marte Meo, which is a program developed by Maria Aarts of the Netherlands and consists of concrete information for the support of children’s development in daily moments of interaction.

We aim to establish immediate rapport and a sense of belonging in our community, as families arrive through the front door. The children begin each day in a play space with an educator, where the educators are actively waiting to welcome the child and their family into the preschool.

We greatly value the strong relationships between our staff, children and families, and we look forward to the opportunity of including your family in the life of our centre.


Our Specialisation

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

Our specialisation is sustainability and we encourage the children to learn about the world around them. We also have a commitment to the teachings of both Circle of Security and Marte Meo and we trust that upon entering our environment this will be evident.

At KU Corrimal East Preschool, as an Early Start engagement centre with the University of Wollongong, we are regularly asked to take part in research where the children, educators and families are asked to take an active role.

We feel that the children benefit from this because they are exposed to current up to date thinking within the early childhood field of education. We have the opportunity to engage with professionals at the University and in turn influence current research in Early Childhood education and care.


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 chose for our children to attend KU East Corrimal, because of its strong focus on incorporating the Circle of Security principles into their daily practice. At KU East Corrimal, the children’s social and emotional wellbeing is given priority and the children thrive in an environment in which they feel safe and secure. We love the way the children are helped to give words to their emotional struggles and subsequently develop skills in understanding both themselves and others' experiences. The educators are always seen taking their time with the children and ensuring that each child is able to develop curiosity for the world in which they are growing. Our children have thrived on this experience and we feel that KU East Corrimal has prepared them beautifully for the wider social worlds that they will encounter in the future." KU Corrimal East parent
"Joining KU East Corrimal has been truly amazing! While we expected changes when our daughter started preschool, we didn't anticipate that, seamlessly, we would become part of an amazing child-learning-centred community together with the other children, parents, KU early childhood teachers and even researchers! KU East Corrimal's approach to belonging means that my daughter recognises geographically and socially where she lives and plays (learns!)...now she confidently waves at more friends at the shops than I do. KU East Corrimal offers an amazing early childhood experience for children and their families. My daughter settled in really quickly, enjoys all the experiences on offer and the staff are amazing at helping children transition into preschool by accepting each child (and family) as unique and inviting us all to create each day together! I feel well-informed, confident in my daughter's care and enjoy listening to her day retold each evening in such a positive and happy way." KU Corrimal East 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.

We are very fortunate to be in a building, a renovated old church, which is very spacious and allows the educators every opportunity to create an inspiring educational environment for the children.

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, 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 Awards

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.

  • In 2020, Cheryl Peters from KU Corrimal East was awarded the 'Making the KU Difference for Families' Award.
  • In 2018, the team at KU Corrimal East was awarded the 'Making the KU Difference by Representing KU' Award.
  • In 2015, the team at KU Corrimal East was awarded the 'Making the KU Difference to Quality' Award.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan

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


Other Features

Hat and Sunscreen
Transition to School
Public Transport
Play-based Learning
Parking
Outdoor Play
Award
Storypark
Education for Sustainability

photo of Megan Dodds

Megan Dodds

Director

Megan is a university qualified early childhood teacher with over 30 years’ experience working with children. She has been working at KU Corrimal East since 1991.

Megan was very proud to lead the team of educators to achieve the rating of 'Excellent' in 2015 under the National Quality Standards, placing the preschool in the top 1% of early childhood education services in the country.

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.

KU Corrimal East Preschool prides itself on the long term employment of all of its educators.

The daily fees for 2024 at KU Corrimal East Preschool are:

Fee Amount
4 year old Start Strong Fee Relief fee FREE
3 year old Start Strong Fee Relief fee $9.50
Start Strong Equity Fee Relief fee FREE
Unfunded fee $80.50

Which fee will you pay?

The NSW Government is committed to ensuring that all children in NSW can participate in 600 hours of quality preschool education in the year before school, no matter where they live or what their circumstances are.

To ensure that affordability is not a barrier for families with young children, the NSW Government provides Start Strong funding making 600 hours, or 15 hours per week, of preschool participation in the two years before school more affordable. In KU preschools, this 15 hours per week is met by enrolling for two days per week.

Start Strong Fee Relief Fee (3 year olds and 4 year olds)

From 2024, the NSW government has provided additional fee relief funding, based on $4,220 per eligible child. This enables NSW preschools to reduce the daily fee as much as possible, within the Start Strong funding parameters.

This funding is for children who turn 3 or 4 years of age by 31 July in the preschool year and are enrolled in a preschool program for 15 hours per week. Across KU Preschools, the ‘15 hours’ is usually met by enrolling in two x 7.5 hour days per week.

Start Strong fee relief can only be accessed at one service, either a preschool or long day care service. This ensures as many children as possible can access affordable early childhood education.

Start Strong Equity Fee Relief Fee

The NSW government provides further funding for children who meet the Start Strong Equity funding criteria. If you think you may be eligible for Equity funding, please speak with the Preschool Director further about this.

Unfunded Fee

The Unfunded Fee is charged when a family has chosen to access the Start Strong fee relief at another community preschool or long day care service.