KU Koo Wee Rup Kindergarten

28 Maughan Road
Koo Wee Rup VIC 3981
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  • Monday to Friday 8:30am - 4:00pm
Preschoolers

Our Program and Approach

Be one of the first families to benefit from our brand new service and purpose-built Kindergarten! Apply now via the Cardinia Council Registration System: https://kindergarten.cardinia....

We are currently offering Monday and Tuesday free kindergarten sessions to 3 and 4-year-olds with the aim to increase session offerings throughout the year as interest grows.

At KU Koo Wee Rup Kindergarten, childhood is celebrated. When they play and explore, children's imagination and curiosity is sparked ­– they enjoy learning, and are inspired to continue learning more.

The new purpose-built kindergarten is architecturally designed, features large indoor and outdoor environments, and is located at Koo Wee Rup Primary School.

We encourage children to laugh, think, question and learn. Their sense of self and confidence grow as they make connections with each other, and build warm, trusting relationships with our team.

Our play-based program is developed and implemented by our University trained Early Childhood Teachers and qualified educator teams, under the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework and the National Quality Framework.

Drawing from their specialist knowledge of early childhood philosophies and practices, our staff create learning experiences that stimulate and enrich children’s minds throughout every developmental stage.

Our learning environment, first and foremost, facilitates children’s agency. We aim to work with our families to facilitate inclusion, respectful interactions, sustainable practices, learning and the wellbeing of all children.

Our three and four year old sessional Kindergarten programs support children in becoming confident and engaged learners who take a lead in their learning journey with their educators.

By incorporating the diversity and values of the local community into our kindergarten, we create welcoming and inclusive places for children to learn and grow.


We Focus On

In addition to the high-quality well-rounded programs we offer, all KU services are also encouraged to develop an area of focus.

At KU Koo Wee Rup Kindergarten, we focus on encouraging children to be active learners.

We incorporate this into our program through involving the children in the learning processes with intentionality through inquiry-based learning and making decisions about our learning environments.

We feel that the children benefit from this because it provides the opportunity for children to collaborate, research, investigate, record and revisit their learning.


Our Quality

KU Koo Wee Rup Kindergarten opens January 2024 and will be independently assessed by the Department of Education and Training Victoria under the National Quality Standards.


Our Environment

Each KU service is unique. The best outcomes for children are created within relationships and interactions between children and staff, and children and their families, not within four walls. We work hard to create beautiful, interesting, homelike learning environments for children - whatever our setting.

KU Koo Wee Rup Kindergarten situated in Koo Wee Rup Primary School which offers families access to a range of services.

Our playground is our outdoor learning environment and includes natural elements such as sand, grass, water, mud, leaves and twigs and kitchen gardens. Wherever possible we avoid using lots of fixed, plastic equipment in our playground. Instead we provide an ever-changing array of challenging and interesting activities and equipment, explored by children and educators together. These activities help with the development of children’s gross motor skills, enhancing their overall health and wellbeing as they discover their strengths and abilities and feel inspired to create, imagine and play.


2024 Timetable

Group Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Group A - 3 year old or 3&4 year old (15 Hours) 8:30am - 4:00pm 8:30am - 4:00pm
Group B - 3 year old (7.5 hours) 8:30am - 4:00pm
Group C - 3 year old or 3&4 year old (15 hours) 8:30am - 4:00pm 8:30am - 4:00pm

Other Features

University Qualified Educators
Experienced Staff
Hat and Sunscreen
Designed Centre
Storypark
Transition to School
Play-based Learning
Parking
Outdoor Play
photo of Melissa Luxford

Melissa Luxford

Director

Melissa is a university qualified early childhood and primary teacher with over 14 years of experience educating children. She has been working at KU Koo Wee Rup Kindergarten since its opening in January 2024.

Melissa is very passionate about providing high quality kindergarten programs through respectful trusting relationships with children, families and the community. She is also passionate about mentoring teachers and educators in their practices to ensure the best outcomes for children.

Melissa has completed the Coach and Mentor Training Program facilitated by the Department of Education.

Our Team

Our team of early childhood educators are qualified, experienced, caring and highly motivated. All hold specialist qualifications in early childhood education. We believe that the positive interactions children have with our staff are the most important component of our high-quality program.

The daily fees for 2024 at KU Koo Wee Rup Kindergarten are:

Fee Amount
4 year old children enrolled 15 hours per week FREE
3 year old children enrolled 5 to 15 hours per week FREE


In an increasingly competitive marketplace, KU has remained very proudly a not-for-profit provider of quality education for more than 125 years. Any surplus we may make is reinvested into our local staff, continually improving the quality of our services, and ensuring our long-term sustainability. KU does not distribute our profits to shareholders or send them offshore.

The Victorian Government provides Free Kinder funding, based on $2,563 per eligible 3 and 4 year old child attending a kindergarten program within a sessional kindergarten. This funding has been applied by KU to ensure kindergarten fees in 2024 are at no cost to families.

Free Kinder funding can only be accessed in one service. This could either be in a sessional kindergarten or long day care service.

The Victorian Department of Education and Training requires parents to sign the declaration form at the time of enrolment. Your eligibility for Free Kinder funding is conditional upon signing this form.