KU Maybanke Preschool

99 Harris Street
PYRMONT NSW 2009
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  • Monday to Friday 8:30am - 4:00pm
Preschoolers
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About This Centre Our Team Fees

Important update

KU Maybanke has transitioned to a Start Strong Funded Preschool from Term 2 2024 (29 April 2024). From this date, daily fees will be reduced and will not be means tested. See the reduced daily fees.

Our Program and Approach

At our preschool 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 Maybanke Preschool, our program facilitates each child’s learning and development in relation to their identity, connection with community, wellbeing, confidence as learners and effectiveness as communicators. We view children as active contributors to their learning and we listen to their voices, empower them to make choices and include them in decision-making.

We provide a stimulating environment with plenty of uninterrupted time for play in both our indoor and outdoor spaces, giving children variety and choice. Children access these areas on their own as they pursue their own interests and build on their skills.

We have a strong focus on ‘School Readiness’ and ‘School Transition’ for both children and their families. We support school readiness by assisting children to develop their skills in areas such as literacy, numeracy and self-care, when they are ready and at their own pace.

We aim to establish immediate rapport and a sense of belonging in our community, as families arrive through the front door.

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 Maybanke Preschool, we focus on connecting children with nature.

We incorporate this into our program through activities such as gardening, growing vegetables and fruits – which we then cook and eat. We also have a worm-farm which uses compost from our vegetable garden.

We feel that the children benefit from this focus because many of them live in an urban environment and don’t have access to their own outdoor play area. This focus is actively teaching children skills about conservation, sustainability and taking care of and respecting nature.

Our Quality


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


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

“KU Maybanke is a wonderful multicultural preschool, with very passionate and professional teachers. We have enjoyed the family feel and it’s strong connection with the community. Koko and Hunter have both loved every day at KU Maybanke. It has prepared them socially and emotionally for kindergarten.” – KU Maybanke parent
"We are incredibly grateful to have our son attending KU Maybanke. It is the educators that make this preschool a special place; they are warm, dedicated, genuinely caring, highly experienced, and supportive of each child’s needs. They take the time to get to know your child and the family. Each child feels valued and respected, which in turn makes them feel secure and safe to play and learn. My son participates in activities and play that encourage him to be creative, think and use his imagination. We appreciate the educators’ guidance and support to help each child develop social and communication skills, emotional intelligence and good values when interacting and playing with others. We have watched our son develop confidently and thrive in this environment. What a great start to school life for a little person!" - KU Maybanke 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.

KU Maybanke is housed in a beautiful heritage listed building, which is named after Maybanke Anderson, who was the founder of KU.

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 Maybanke, 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
Outdoor Play
Nappies
Storypark
photo of Jessie Xu

Jessie Xu

Director

Jessie is a university qualified early childhood teacher with more than 10 years of experience working with children in varied services and in different roles.

Jessie believes in the rights of every child and is capable, curious and creative. She values the children’s voice and empowers children to make decisions and choices that are relevant to themselves. She views herself as an enthusiastic facilitator who is committed to creating a welcoming, secure and quality learning environment that supports children to reach their full potential and allows families to share in their child’s learning journey.

Diversity and multiculturalism are valued by Jessie. She is also interested in creative art, music, gardening and sustainability, which feature strongly in the preschool 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.

Most of our staff have been at KU Maybanke for over 10 years and offer a wealth of experience in childcare and an in-depth knowledge of the local community and families. Our educators are well equipped to plan and lead activities that inspire children and help them learn and develop to become responsible individuals throughout their childhood and beyond.

Fees from Term 2 2024

KU Maybanke Preschool is transitioning to a Start Strong Funded Preschool from Term 2 2024 (29 April 2024). From this date, daily fees will be reduced and will not be means tested.

From Term 2 2024, the daily fees at KU Maybanke Preschool will be:

Fee Amount
4 year old Start Strong Fee Relief fee $12.00
3 year old Start Strong Fee Relief fee $38.00
Start Strong Equity Fee Relief fee FREE
Unfunded fee $92.00


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.

Fees for Term 1 2024 only

The daily fees for Term 1 2024 at KU Maybanke Preschool are:

  • Toddlers: $140.00
  • Preschoolers: $133.00

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.

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