Glen Education - Our Approach to Education
Glen Education is a leader in providing innovative, professional, and inclusive early years education, committed to delivering excellence in learning. Our kindergartens implement a play based emergent curriculum that is built on current research from the National Early Years Learning Framework. The curriculum provides rich learning experiences developed through a strength/interest-based approach.
We deliver innovative, multi-age programs, in a team-teaching environment, where children aged 3 – 5 years of age learn alongside each other rather than adhering strictly to age-based separation. At Glen Education, our educational teams work in partnership to improve the quality of children’s learning experiences and advance children’s learning and development. In our collaborative team-teaching approach, various educators share teaching responsibilities working across the week (rather than being restricted to one ‘group’ or limited days), providing children exposure to a consistent team of teachers throughout their kindergarten experience. This offers children the chance to learn from educators with diverse teaching styles, ideas, perspectives, and experience. When children have exposure to various educators with different passions and skills, they learn so much more.
Follow the pathway below to see how your child progresses through kindergarten and transitions to school.
To be eligible for funded First Year (3-Year-Old) Kindergarten, your child must be three years of age or older by 30 April in the year they attend.
Families with children born between January and April can choose which year to start First Year (3-Year-Old) Kindergarten. These children may start:
- In the same year they turn three, or
- In the year they turn four.
Please note that children can only attend full kindergarten sessions once they have turned three.
This means some children may begin attending their full program partway through Term 1. To support a smooth transition, we welcome children aged two to visit the kindergarten for short periods, with a parent or guardian present, until they turn three.
The expectation is that children enrolled in the First Year (3 Year Old) kindergarten program will transition to Second Year (4 Year Old) kindergarten the following year.
To be eligible for funded Second Year (4-Year-Old) kindergarten children must be four years of age or older by 30 April in the year they attend. A child may start four-year-old kindergarten at the commencement of the kindergarten year even if they have not yet turned four.
During Second Year (4-Year-Old) Kindergarten, your teacher will assess your child, plan for their move to school and identify any development areas that may need particular attention.
Children can go to kindergarten when they are 6 years old if they have a disability, developmental delay, or exceptional circumstances. Children who fit this category must apply for an Exemption from school due to attendance in a kindergarten program form. You can read more about this HERE.
Children meeting the Department of Education’s eligibility requirements can access an additional year of funded First Year (3-Year-Old) Kindergarten or funded Second Year (4-Year-Old) kindergarten, but not both. Please visit Department of Education website for further information.
An additional year of funded 3-Year-Old or funded 4-Year-Old Kindergarten WILL ONLY be considered when a child shows significant delays in learning and development outcome areas in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework and when:
- the kindergarten program is deemed to be the most appropriate learning program.
- the child will achieve better outcomes at kindergarten than if they go to school.
You can learn more about your child’s assessment HERE.
There is no possibility of deferring a child’s kindergarten place once they have commenced in the program. Strategies are developed in partnership with the family to build the capacity of each child.
