Canberra Preschool Society

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Welcome to the Canberra Preschool SocietySince 1943, the voice of parents of preschool children in the Australian Capital Territory.

Education Tax Refund replaced immediately by School Kids Bonus
The Federal Budget announced on Tuesday 8 May 2012 included a provision for -
abolition of the Education Tax Refund, replaced by
a School Kids Bonus, paying a fixed amount per child directly to parents, and
a one-off bonus payment before the end of June 2012 which replaces the Education Tax Refund for 2011-12.

Information contained in the Budget announcements last night includes the following:
The Government will provide $2.1 billion over five years for a new Schoolkids Bonus to provide guaranteed support to families with the costs of their children's education. This will replace the Education Tax Refund (ETR), which is currently available as a refundable tax offset. The Schoolkids Bonus will be made in two equal instalments in January and July each year commencing January 2013. As a transitional arrangement, the ETR in 2011‑12 will be replaced by a one‑off lump sum payment to eligible families in June 2012. Making these payments automatic will increase assistance to the many eligible families currently missing out on some or any ETR.
From January 2013, every family with a child at school will be guaranteed $410 per annum for each primary school student and $820 per annum for each secondary school student. All eligible families will receive the full rate of payment and will no longer need to keep receipts as proof of expense, or wait until tax time.
Eligibility for the payment will remain open to families with children enrolled and attending school who are in receipt of Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB A) or other qualifying income support payments or allowances under a prescribed educational scheme that precludes the family from receiving FTB A.

Further reference - Media release from Jenny Macklin MP, the responsible Minister.
The CPS on Thursday made representations to Senator Kate Lundy and Senator Gary Humphries, as the legislation which had passed the Parliament appeared to exclude preschool children from the eligibility criteria for the new payment (based on a cut-off birth date of 31 July 2007). The following reply was received from the office of Senator Lundy:
I’ve referred your email onto Senator Lundy for her information and consideration; however in the meantime, I have clarified the following for you. The lump-sum payment in June will be automatically paid for all children 5 years or older, or turning 5 by 31 July 2012. The legislation also establishes an ‘administrative scheme’ to make sure that everyone who was eligible under the ETR will also get the lump-sum payment. These arrangements will be settled shortly.
I have passed your email onto Minister Macklin so it can be considered in the design of the administrative scheme and the ongoing arrangements. Minister Macklin’s office has advised me that the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs will be in contact with you shortly.

Preschool Enrolment Now Open
Enrolment applications for preschool in the ACT in 2013 are now open. All applications for government preschools are made at the office of your local Primary School, P-10 School or Early Childhood School.
School Principals have full and final control over all enrolment procedures and decisions. The Canberra Preschool Society cannot intervene, and the Education and Training Directorate can provide procedural advice only and cannot overrule a school. This should be understood in respect of everything else below and all other information which is available concerning applications for enrolment.
A child can commence preschool in 2013 if their 4th birthday is earlier than May 1st 2013. Very limited and special-case criteria do exist for under-aged entry, and school Principals can advise on this.
Priority of enrolment is given in accordance with Priority Placement Areas. These are published on the website of Education and Training at this page. Early Childhood Schools are not limited by Priority Placement Areas and may be an option for families wishing an alternate option.
Schools are under no obligation to accept applications from out-of-area children, ie, those not living within the Priority Placement Area. In the case of many schools, this is because local enrolment numbers are sufficient or even in excess of school capacity. There are schools in the Woden and North Canberra districts which have preschools that are not full this year, and may be undersubscribed next year, but this should not be taken as definitive advice and enquiries directly to a school will always yield the best information.
A child can be enrolled at one, and only one, school.
Every government preschool in the ACT will be offering a preschool program of 15 hours per week in 2013. The structure of this program varies from school to school - some have alternating weeks of 3 days and 2 days, and some have 2.5 days per week, whilst there are also a few isolated cases of 3 days of 5 hours each. Each school adopts a session pattern as best suits its facilities and staffing resources, and in large preschools a choice of sessions will be available. Parents should keep in mind that preschool attendance is non-compulsory and if it is inconvenient for you to send your child on a particular day or a particular session then the school cannot hold that against you or your child.
Finally, parents holding an interest in the path ahead for their preschool-age children are reminded of our Early Years Learning Workshops, advertised below and in the Meetings column at right, at which many of their questions about preschools, including enrolment, can be answered.

Early Years Learning Workshops
The CPS series of informative parenting workshops will take place in May and June. If you would like to promote the workshops in your school with an A3 poster just like this one, please contact us. No fees or charges apply, and no obligation.

The CPS Office is open for any enquiries relating to -
» parent associations in preschools
» affiliation and membership with the Society
» locations and contact details for preschools
» how to apply for enrolment in 2013.
See right for details of our (open to the public) meetings.
Contact us by email or phone (school hours Tues-Fri), or in person at the Office or at your school, by appointment.

PARENT ASSOCIATION HANDOVER
Click here for HANDOVER MANUAL and ORIENTATION MANUAL.
Click here for PRESIDENTS AND SECRETARIES WORKSHOP Powerpoint presentation and example Agenda and Minutes .
Download the presentation slides and the Cheat Sheet from
the Treasurers Workshop.

Next meetings

Early Years Learning Workshops

The second workshop of the Society's series for parents and others interested in early childhood education and care.

"Nurturing Your
Child's Wellbeing"

Tuesday May 29th, 2012
7:00pm
Registration required - please click here for details.

General Meeting

The next General Meeting will be on Tuesday June 26th. Further notice will be provided in Term 2. Any concerns or issues from members and parent associations may be raised through the CPS Office and the Council will receive and deal with them.

All meetings at
Centre for Teaching and Learning, Fremantle Drive, Stirling

You can be involved in the CPS now!

Join the Canberra Preschool Society as an Individual Member and become a part of the network of thousands of parents of preschoolers in the Territory; and/or
Join the Preschool Parents Association of your local preschool - contact the school to find out contact details and meeting times

CPS Members, and the delegates of affiliated organisations, can be elected to a management role in the Society. If you would like to help advance early education and community understanding of preschool,
then we need you!

Established on the 7th of July, in 1943, the Canberra Pre-School Society Incorporated (formerly the Canberra Nursery Kindergarten Society) has assisted thousands of parents (and their children) and hundreds of early childhood educators in very practical ways.

Often operating "behind the scenes" - the CPS is made up of parent volunteer members - supported by a single part time salaried Administrative Officer.

The CPS is the only Territory-wide parent voice in pre-school education in Canberra.

Our Mission Statement
To assist parents to have an active role in all preschools within the ACT – ensuring that all preschools remain high quality, accessible and equitable.

Our Vision
To be a strong effective voice of the parents of pre-school children in the ACT.

Our Aims
The objectives of the Society, which include its role as a peak body, are given in the Constitution:

Promote community interest in pre-school education (see note below)

Promote an understanding of pre-school education

Advocate, advise and assist pre-school education facilitators in the establishment and conduct of preschools and like institutions

Be the peak body of Preschool Parent Associations in the Territory and of other community-based organisations in the Territory which are affiliated as Group Members

Engage with community, government and other organisations and persons on purposes related to these objects

Represent in any appropriate forums the views of the Society on matters related to these objects.

Note: In the Aims listed above, “pre-school” or “pre-school education” is taken to mean the formal and informal learning environment of children up to the age of 5 years (after which compulsory education commences), and the institutions established to provide such education.

Together, we believe that pre-schools
... offer parents a choice in early childhood care and education.
... offer a community-based transition into formal schooling.
... provide parents with an opportunity to build community networks.
... provide early access to qualified early childhood educators.

About Preschool Parents Associations

If your child is enrolled in preschool this year, be sure to participate in the Preschool Parents Association. It is the support group for your child's preschool, providing educational resources and equipment through donations and fundraising, taking out insurance to provide a comprehensive cover for your children and yourself on preschool activities, and networking with other PPAs across the Territory through its affiliate membership of the CPS.

Your PARENT voice can be and is heard across Canberra, at Government and Departmental executive levels and, where appropriate, nationally. Want to make a lasting difference for your own AND every ACT preschool child? Ensure that your PPA is represented at meetings of the CPS.

The CPS still needs volunteers to serve on its management Council.

As a parent-driven entity, the CPS cannot operate without its volunteer Council members. The only qualification you need is an interest in your own child's or grandchild's preschool education. You can be nominated and elected at a General Meeting, and participation in the Council is through email discussions and a one-hour closed meeting (on the same nights as General meetings). Full support for the Council is provided by our Office Manager. The term of service is until the next CPS Annual General Meeting.

COPYRIGHT - the information on this website can be freely used for non-commercial purposes. Unless otherwise noted, we ask that you acknowledge the CPS website as your source

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