Canberra Preschool Society

Lyons Meeting.

The presidents and treasurers of both the Preschool Parent Association and the Parent & Citizen's Association, Canberra Preschool Society (Carolyn Harkness, Vice President, and Dianne Thornton, CPS Executive Officer) and the ACT Parents & Citizens Council (Ms. Jo Dixon, President, and Joan Kellett, a member of the Executive Committee):

It was determined that:

• The current P&C Council appears to accept, and support, the presence of the PPA within the newly amalgamated school context as a vitally different organisation supporting the non-compulsory preschool year in a manner that is quite “discrete” (completely separate and unconnected) from the school’s own P&C.
• The following appears to be the suitable course of action for Early Childhood Schools - where there are extremely low enrollments for 2009:
• Where there are extremely low primary enrolments the P&C may wind-up and transfer assets in accordance with the ACT Associations Incorporated Act – to like organisations (for example, where the children / specific programs are going to in 2009), they also may lodge the finances with the P&C Council until a new P&C is formed.
• Where there are extremely low preschool enrolments - it is recommended that the PPA will become the sole “parent body” – who will then undertake the necessary transformation to manage the 0-8 environment until: either a new P&C can be reconstituted to manage the compulsory schooling years (6-8) or a new-look “parent and community” association comes into existence with affiliations to both the CPS and the P&C.
• Where there are ZERO preschool enrolments - it is recommended that the PPA will go into suspension mode and the existing 2008 PPA executive will remain in their positions in the manner that has previously been employed when a preschool was suspended.
• The governance structure of the PPA remains intact, and as described in the glossary of the Early Childhood School Framework (ECS Framework) the preschool is defined as "The year before school entry, providing 12 hours of attendance in a range of different sessional arrangements, as part of government P-2, P-6 or P-10 schools”
• In accordance with the ACT Government's Toward 2020 Schools Renewal Statements - the assets of the PPA will be “relocated” with the Preschool ... into the new P-2 school.It is the ACT DET’s own prerogative to purchase additional resources to supplement those existing resources in support of the ECS Framework – this does not diminish the existing contractual arrangements between the PPA and the ACT Government.
  

Please note: It appears that the members of the Lyons Preschool Parent Association have been informed by the ACT Department of Education & Training that they are not bringing their resources into the new P-2 environment as they will not be required. It is the opinion of the CPS Council that we seriously question the value, validity and the necessity of purchasing a whole new suite of early childhood teaching and education resources for the same preschool as it (and its existing resources) are being relocated into the new ECS - in accordance with the ACT Government's own Toward 2020 School Renewal statements.