KU Donkin Preschool

Donkin Avenue
MOSS VALE NSW 2577
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  • Monday to Friday 8:15am - 3:45pm
Preschoolers NSW Fee Relief – Preschool

Our Program and Approach

At KU Donkin, we provide a play-based learning program that reflects the individual interests, abilities and needs of each child. We provide a safe environment that is nurturing and stimulating, and fosters personal growth and development.

Our program provides opportunities for both active and quiet activities, and we have spacious indoor and outdoor areas for both individual and group learning. Our qualified and dedicated educators aim to provide an environment where all children have equal opportunities to develop to their full potential.

KU Donkin has been operating within the local community for over 50 years. We are proud of our reputation within the local community of providing rich education and care that concentrates on individual children in a family-focused and supportive way.

Our program offers children the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of learning experiences and activities, each specifically designed to promote children’s confidence as capable, active participants in their own learning. We offer a strong literacy and numeracy component, and children are well prepared for school through these experiences with the emphasis on developing independence, problem solving, imagination and social and emotional skills.

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 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 Donkin, our special focus is connecting children and families to the natural world.

KU Donkin is located in the picturesque Southern Highlands. We experience distinct seasonal changes and this is reflected in the activities we do within our program. Our connection to nature and the seasons occurs through activities such as growing vegetables and fruit, and working with children to propagate seeds. We also provide parents information on what seasonal vegetables to plant or cook.

We encourage children to be keen observers of nature and our playground provides a beautiful backdrop in which that can occur.


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...

"KU Donkin is a fantastic preschool environment to help nurture children and develop their interest in exploring and discovering. Frequently our son recounts the tales of his adventures at Donkin, as well as teaching us and his siblings the exciting things he has learnt. KU Donkin has a wonderful community spirit and feels like an extension of our home environment. The educators are inspiring and truly caring. They ignite the fire inside the children to be inquisitive at the same time as offering a safe and caring space for the children to grow. I am delighted we chose Donkin for our children." - KU Donkin parent
"I choose to send my children to KU Donkin Preschool, because it’s like an extension of the family. The environment and the staff are so welcoming. The children feel safe, secure and happy." - KU Donkin parent

Our Environment

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 Donkin has a solid reputation within the community and has the benefit of a very large playground with well established deciduous trees. There is also a large amount of space inside the Preschool with a playroom and a separate lunch and music room.

Our playground is designed to allow children to explore nature and discover the natural environment. We want children to be able to dig in the mud, grow plants, 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.


Our Reconciliation Action Plan

KU was proud to launch its inaugural Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2016. At KU Donkin, 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

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

photo of Meredith Gibson

Meredith Gibson

Director

Meredith is a university qualified early childhood teacher with over 30 years’ experience working with children. She has been working at KU Donkin since 2021. Particular interests include developing authentic relationships with staff, children and their families, and sharing music, literature and gardening with children.

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.

The staff at KU Donkin have a low turnover rate and are committed to providing enriched early childhood education and high quality care to children. Families are warmly welcomed into our service.

The daily fees for 2024 at KU Donkin Memorial Preschool are:

Fee Amount
4 year old Start Strong Fee Relief fee FREE
3 year old Start Strong Fee Relief fee $8.00
Start Strong Equity Fee Relief fee FREE
Unfunded fee $78.50

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.