KU Killarney Heights Preschool

96a Starkey Street
KILLARNEY HEIGHTS NSW 2087
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  • Monday to Friday 8:00am - 3:30pm
Preschoolers NSW Fee Relief – Preschool

Our Program and Approach

At KU Killarney Heights, our program and practices are grounded in a holistic approach to children’s learning and development. We pay attention to children’s physical, personal, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing and we aim to respond to all children’s strengths, abilities and interests.

Our centre is a welcoming and nurturing space where each child is immersed in a rich tapestry of educationally interactive experiences – a space where children are supported to be their own, unique selves, growing and developing a sense of belonging and empowerment.

We provide a welcoming and vibrant environment where all children feel secure and nurtured. Our program is grounded in long periods of uninterrupted play, where children can build relationships with each other and safely explore the world around them. Our curriculum planning is deliberate, thoughtful and purposeful.

We offer a free flowing indoor/outdoor program, as we believe that learning can occur anywhere and at any time. We have a strong emphasis on outdoor play and foster respect of and interest in our beautiful natural environment.

Our program offers children the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of learning experiences and activities, including gardening, arts and crafts, music and movement, physical play, block building, sand and water play, science experiments, early numeracy activities such as counting and measurement, and early literacy activities such as reading, drawing and writing.

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.


We Focus On

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 Killarney Heights, we focus on children developing a connection with nature through our Bush Kinder Program. This program is an educational experience that is held at our local bush kinder site, located a short walk from the preschool. Here, children engage in unstructured play in the bush, learn about their local bush area and how to care for it.

We incorporate this into our program as an extension of our preschool program. During Bush Kinder, children have the opportunity to spend time engaging in play, exploring, learning and engaging with nature.

We believe that the children benefit from this program, as it provides the perfect opportunity for children to play regularly in the outdoors, to explore, imagine, create and connect with the natural environment, each other and the local community. At KU Killarney Heights, we believe children learn best through play. Play, in its true form, should be freely chosen, self-directed and intrinsically motivated.


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 cannot speak highly enough of the KU Killarney Heights Preschool. The teaching team are exceptionally engaging and really put their heart and soul into providing a nurturing environment that fosters exceptionally high standards. The children are given so many amazing opportunities to challenge themselves, grow and develop through the play based learning program in place. The program includes a very unique opportunity for both parents and children to participate in Bush Kinder, a variety of incursions, an amazing free flowing indoor and outdoor play space, complete with so many wonderful educational tools to emphasis children's learning. KU Killarney Heights is everything you could hope and want for your child beginning their preschool journey. The smiles that greet you at the end of the day and the strong sense of community are a testament to this and a real credit to the teaching staff.” - KU Killarney Heights parent

"I cannot commend the team highly enough. From the very beginning I felt supported in my role as a nervous first time Mum. I was allowed to progress forward with my son at a pace that was comfortable for me. I always received individual feedback about my child and how his day went. My eldest son's special needs were identified early on and with support and guidance of teachers, other professionals and I have seen how much of a positive difference early intervention can make. I am absolutely amazed at how two years at KU Killarney Heights has helped my child to grow and overcome some of his challenges. There is a deep and genuine bond of care and trust between children and educators, and this in turn has led me to develop a great attachment to the team too! I never have to worry that my child is not being heard or his needs are not being met. We feel lucky to have had such fantastic people in our lives at such a crucial time." - KU Killarney Heights 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 pride ourselves on having large open spaces, both inside and outdoors, for children to play and a natural outdoor environment offering many learning experiences for children. We have chickens, a native beehive, vegetable patch, bush tucker garden and compost, in which children are actively involved in caring for and maintaining.

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, 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 Killarney Heights, we began our journey to develop our centre’s RAP in 2018 and we are proud to present 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 Lisa Hicks

Lisa Hicks

Director

Lisa is a university qualified Early Childhood Teacher with over 20 years’ experience working with children in a range of services. She has been working at KU Killarney Heights Preschool since 2015.

Lisa has a passion for outdoor education and was involved in researching and developing the Bush Kinder program.

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.

The team at KU Killarney Heights have a range of qualifications, skills and experience in early childhood education. When selecting staff, we look for people who share the philosophy of our centre, enjoy working in a team and understand the needs of families. Staff are chosen for their knowledge, skills, empathy and respect for children.

Being active in the community is important to the team at KU Killarney Heights Preschool. We have strong links with our local primary school and the wider Killarney Heights Community. We participate in numerous local events, which promote and encourage positive relationships within our community.

The daily fees for 2024 at KU Killarney Heights Preschool are:

Fee Amount
4 year old Start Strong Fee Relief Fee $10.50
3 year old Start Strong Fee Relief fee $36.00
Start Strong Equity Fee Relief fee FREE
Unfunded fee $101.50

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.