FAQ

Wattle Montessori is licensed to a maximum of 75 children per day across the service.

We abide by ACECQA's maximum ratios of 1:4 for children from 0 - 24 months, 1:5 for children under 3 years of age and 1:11 for children over 3 years of age. Often, our ratios are lower than this.

The youngest age we can take is 4 months old. The oldest age we can take is children in their prep equivalent year who have not yet commenced a formal prep program. We do not do before or after school care for school children.

Our minumum number of enrolled days are:

-2 days per week for children younger than kindergarten age

-3 days per week for children of kindergarten age (turning 4 years old prior to 30th June of that year)

-4 days per week for children of prep age (turning 5 years old prior to 30th June of that year)

Why the minimum day policy?

The minimum day policy was instituted in response to both general recommendations in the early childhood arena, as well as our own observations. For each additional day a child attends a high quality service, significant additional benefits are seen in both social-emotional and cognitive development. The consistency and continuity of care given by additional days helps children to:

-Feel more comfortable and relaxed.

-Settle into and predict daily routines and classroom expectations.

-Build their autonomy (ability to self-govern) and sense of agency (feeling in control of things happening around them).

-Develop stronger bonds with educators.

-Develop stronger friendships with peers.

-Have more time to develop important social skills such as sharing, teamwork and negotiation.

-Build strong, confident self-identities in a social setting.

-Have more time for educators to holistically address all developmental areas - to both respond to interests and to guide in areas that may need more attention.

-Have more time to explore, practice skills and build on learning.

-Achieve the skills required for ‘school readiness’ and future academic success.

If all children are more calm and relaxed due to the above, this helps to maintain a calm and relaxed atmosphere that further feeds into the children feeling calm and relaxed. Research has shown that children will learn more in a calm and relaxed environment.

Please note that this is not a policy designed simply to increase revenue, as it does lead to loss of enrolments, for those families for whom it does not suit. However, we feel that it is a key factor in our ability to provide high quality care to the children whom we do serve.

We are open from 6.30AM to 6.30PM Monday to Friday. Our Montessori and kindergarten program runs from 8.45AM to 3.00PM Monday to Friday. We request that all children arrive before 8.45AM and are picked up after 3.00PM to get the most out of our program and to minimise disruptions to the rest of the class.

Our Montessori program is approved as a kindergarten program. In fact, in our multi-age classroom, all children (not just those of 'kindergarten' age, receive the benefits of the kindergarten program.

Our full fees are $139 per day. There are financial incentives for paying a term in advance or enrolling five days per week.

Our service is eligible for Childcare Subsidy. Childcare Subsidy is provided by the Australian government and can provide significant savings in childcare fees for those families whom are eligible. For more information, go to: https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/child-care-subsidy.

Yes!

We ensure that all children attending our service are well-nourished throughout the day. We provide a variety of meal options, including morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and a late snack. All our meals and snacks are catered by Wellbeing Food Co., a reputable catering company known for its focus on nutrition and quality. With Wellbeing Food Co. handling the catering, parents can rest assured that their children are receiving balanced, delicious, and healthy meals while at our service. Menus rotate weekly and change each month ensuring variety for each child.

Feel free to call or email us during our opening hours (see the 'contact us' page). We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

We find that the best way to find out more information is to book a tour (see the 'contact us' page). Tours are generally held in the morning as we have found that most questions that families have are around how the Montessori 'morning cycle' works. You can see the children in action (from a distance so as not to disturb them) and you can ask any questions you may have.