Canberra Preschool Society

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Welcome to Preschool

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Our young children learn in a number of different ways and each at a vastly different pace. The ACT preschool program is specifically designed to cater for these differences and utilises highly specialised, structured and unstructured play. The teacher’s experience, and on-going training, provides each enrolled child with the opportunity to develop self-confidence and other fundamental life skills that support their social and cognitive development.
ACT preschool education acknowledges what current brain development research has revealed – that social-emotional development and cognitive development are interwoven with each other and that our young children are developing in several areas simultaneously (Ashiabi. 2007). When young children engage in a fun, play-based learning program – where the principles of literacy and numeracy are seamlessly integrated with science, environmental studies, music and art and social-emotional development occurs too (MacNaughton, 2004)!
This type of early childhood program is absolutely essential for our children. It is also extremely resource-intensive, making it expensive to run, and it needs relationships to work, which means that it takes up a lot of volunteer time and energy. These two things are common knowledge to the parent of a pre-schooler - our young children keep us extremely busy and they need a lot of attention!
A quality preschool program provides a young child with plenty of interesting things to do, a stimulating environment that encourages thinking and activity and loads of space to run, jump, play and build up not only their bodies ... but their imaginations too!
Stemming from a 66-year long tradition, many preschools, in the ACT, have their own Preschool Parents’ Association (PPA). In some instances, the Preschool Parent Association may have been replaced by a Parent & Citizens’ Association (P&C) subcommittee. Both of these groups come together to support the preschool year. These supportive, volunteer-based community groups are absolutely essential to making the play-based, early childhood program a success.
Over the last 6 decades, the provision of a quality preschool learning environment has been the joint responsibility of the PPA and the Government of the ACT. This authentic and historical partnership divided the financial responsibility that underpinned the provision of quality staff and facilities (Government) and wonderful early childhood teaching equipment and resources (PPA). This shared governance and active partnership directly brought about the high quality preschool program that your child enjoys and learns from today.
We a very fortunate, here in Canberra, our children benefit from generations of supportive parent volunteers and Government teaching staff. Nowhere, in Australia, is the preschool program of his quality, so well resourced. It is also, arguably, the most affordable and accessible.
Where there is a Preschool Parents’ Association (PPA), they generally provide:
virtually all play-based, teaching equipment, resources and consumables,
family support – through a comprehensive and affordable personal accident insurance, and
a fun way to learn more about and to support your child’s early learning.
Making our children’s early years of education something special.
Partnerships between the PPA, the teachers and Principal of the school, the school’s P&C Association, ACT Department of Education and Training, and the community are vital to the effective operation of the preschool program. As the parent of a preschooler, you play an extremely important role - especially where you are a key member of the provision of the program itself..
Both the PPA, an incorporated, not-for-profit community association, and the P&C sub-committee are managed by a committee elected by its members and are governed by either its own or the P&C’s constitution.
Membership of a PPA, automatically includes all parents of children enrolled at the preschool and, in some cases, there are others with an interest in their local preschool community who have joined as ‘independent’ members — for example, parents of children within the early years band at the amalgamated government primary school.
The structure of the PPA is organised each year as a new enrolment is welcomed into the ACT preschool program. Meaning that the membership of a PPA also turns over at the start of each year; when the parents, of the new preschool class, are invited to join in the PPA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). At this AGM, elections take place to elect a new management committee for the year, consisting of executive officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer) and sometimes there are other committee members as stipulated by the PPA’s Constitution.
Participation in the management of the volunteer-based PPA has multiple benefits for parents including social interaction, developing new skills, increased knowledge of children and early childhood, self-confidence and personal development.
Financing the responsibilities of the PPA is quite simple – when managed collaboratively. At the beginning of the year, the PPA membership comes together to set and then approve the request of a small resource donation. The amount of which is usually about $50 per term. $5 per week is significantly less than what you would pay in other states and territories. The prompt and full payment of the resource donation often means that there will be no need for any further fundraising for the entire year!
The CPS genuinely encourages a “sharing of the load” through developing collaborative approaches to the tasks that everyone faces when supporting our children’s early years of education. We will continue to explore how to make the most of the incredible opportunity before us to build some strong community partnerships with early childhood education and care.
The Canberra Preschool Society wish you the very best this year and look forward to working with you
Carolyn Harkness
CPS Life Member
References:
Ashiabi, G.S. (2007). Play in the preschool classroom: Its socioemotional signiﬁcance and the teacher’s role in play!
MacNaughton, G. (2004). The politics of logic in early childhood research: A case of the brain, hard facts, trees and rhizomes, The Australian Educational Researcher,Volume 31,Number 3,December 2004
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Updated: 4 February 2010.

Welcome to Preschool
From the Executive Officer
Who is the Canberra Preschool Society?
The Role of the CPS Council
CPS 2010 Calendar
The Preschool Parent Association
Financing the Work of the PPA
ACT Government School Parent Financial Contributions
Useful Information for Incoming PPAs
Useful Information for Outgoing PPAs
CPS Handover Manual Feedback

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