[page updated October 2019]
QTU SUPPORTS STATE DELIVERED KINDY
The remote kindy pilot began in 2016 with 11 schools, was expanded to 38 in 2017, then expanded to 68 schools in 2018. At the end of 2018, the program was renamed State delivered kindy. In 2020, there will be a further 10 schools included bringing the total to 78 schools. In these schools, the kindy program is delivered by the primary teacher, who may or may not be early childhood trained. In stand-alone indigenous kindergartens, the teacher may be an early childhood trained kindergarten teacher,
The pilot began with the department granting 15 hours of teacher aide time per week, which was the equivalent of the funding provided by the Federal government under the Universal Access National Partnership agreement. The QTU lobbied and was successful in pressuring the department to supplement the 15 hours per week with an additional five hours of teacher aide time, bringing the total up to 20 hours per week. It is important to note that kindy children should only be attending kindy for 15 hours per week. (3 x 5 hour days per week)
The QTU acknowledges the significant professional development that the department has provided and continues to provide each year to teaching principals and teacher aides who are part of this program. Members have contacted the QTU in relation to the duplication of paperwork required, and the department are working to streamline this, and provide more administration time for teaching principals next year.
At our request, the department has developed this set of Frequently Asked Questions, which might be useful.
Topics covered : Distinguishing between SDK model types of State Delivered Kindy (namely, kindy in discreet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities (formerly known as pre-Prep); and Remote Kindy); Minimum requirements, staffing, resourcing and support models, ratios and more (related to Remote Kindy)
For further information and advice about the program, members should contact the relevant Early Years Coach based in each education region.