Kindergarten (Pre-Prep) Townsville

The Annandale Christian College Kindergarten (Pre-Prep) is a Queensland Government-approved and funded Early Childhood program with an excellent reputation in the local Townsville area and, therefore, demand for places within the Early Childhood Centre is very high.

Recently assessed by the Department of Communities (Early Childhood Services) against the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care, the program received an Exceeding the Standard grading, and processes are in place to ensure continuous quality improvement.

The Early Childhood Centre is located in a separate, fully-fenced area adjacent to the Lower Primary Precinct and is considered an integral part of the College. It operates ideally in partnership with parents in the education and care of their children, recognising that parents are their child’s first (and ultimate) teachers. Parents bring to the early childhood setting a wealth of knowledge and expertise concerning their own children, and their individual cultural and social needs and interests. Kindergarten teachers at Annandale Christian College, with their specialist training and their individual gifts and abilities, provide the skills and knowledge in developing curriculum and environments to maximise student learning and growth.

The Kindergarten program runs over five days per fortnight and caters for children prior to the year they are eligible for Preparatory (i.e. children must turn 4 years of age prior to 30 June in the year they are seeking placement).

The Kindergarten program is deliberately flexible in order to cater for the changing interests and needs of the children, recognising that children grow and develop at different rates. The program reflects the quality, Christ-centred approach of the College and encompasses the National Early Years Learning Framework of “Belonging, Being, Becoming” and the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines. Programs are planned through observations, daily evaluations, child interest and targeted teaching goals and, through them, our young children develop social skills, experiment and make discoveries, solve problems, develop imagination and creativity, and make sense of their world as they make decisions, explore cause and effect relationships and arrive at their own conclusions.

The Kindergarten program facilitates a smooth transition into formal schooling as the children are familiar with the environment, routines and other staff.