KU Merewether Preschool

Overview
About this service
Features
Gallery
Director
Fees
Testimonials

Address

25 Caldwell Street

MEREWETHER NSW 2291

KU Merewether Preschool, Caldwell Street, Merewether NSW, Australia

02 4963 1590

Monday to Friday 8:30am - 4:00pm

Preschool (3-5Y)Preschool/Kindergarten (3-5Y)

Overview

KU Merewether goes beyond childcare. We create a safe and nurturing environment where childhood is celebrated.

A fixture of the community since 1959, we are proud of our longstanding reputation of providing rich education and care tailored to each child’s needs in a family-focussed and supportive way.

Our highly experienced and dedicated teachers and educators build strong, trusting relationships with each child, fostering a sense of belonging and confidence.

KU Merewether offers innovative play-based learning experiences that nurture each child’s unique strengths and allow them to explore, discover and grow within a relaxed and supportive environment.

About this service

Our program and approach

When children play and explore, their imagination and curiosity are sparked – they enjoy learning and are inspired to continue learning more.

Our play-based program intentionally provides a wide range of engaging opportunities and activities based on the Early Years Learning Framework.

We specialise in project learning, using intentional teaching to harness children’s curiosity. Led by the children’s interests, our learning projects develop over time and weave multiple learning areas and styles as we delve deeper together.

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Our quality

KU Merewether has been independently assessed by the NSW Department of Education, and are proud to be rated as Exceeding the National Quality Standard.

We believe that the positive interactions children have with our staff are the most important component of our high quality program. Our team of teachers and educators are qualified, experienced, caring and motivated.

Our staff undergo continuous professional development, staying at the forefront of early childhood education.

Features

Hat and sunscreen

Education for Sustainability

Parking

Outdoor play

Public transport

Play-based learning

Storypark

Transition to school

Award

University qualified teachers

Children doing some writing at KU Merewether childcare

KU Merewether childcare indoor environment

Child doing some arts and craft at KU Merewether childcare

Child playing on equipment at KU Merewether childcare

Director

Nicole Vesperman is a university qualified early childhood teacher with over 20 years’ experience working with children. She has been working at KU Merewether since 2013 and has also taught at TAFE and University, as well as presenting professional development workshops. Nicole is interested in visual arts, connecting to nature and learning through discovery.

Fees

The daily fees for 2024 at KU Merewether Preschool are:

Age group	Amount
4 year old Start Strong Fee Relief fee	FREE
3 year old Start Strong Fee Relief fee	$19.50
Start Strong Equity Fee Relief fee	FREE
Unfunded fee	$87.50

The NSW Government is committed to ensuring that all children in NSW can participate in 600 hours of quality preschool education in the year before school, no matter where they live or what their circumstances are.

To ensure that affordability is not a barrier for families, the NSW Government provides Start Strong funding. This funding makes 600 hours, or 15 hours per week, of preschool participation in the two years before school more affordable. In KU preschools, this 15 hours per week is met by enrolling for two days per week, and offers your child quality early childhood education.

Which fee will you pay?

Start Strong Fee Relief Fee (3 year olds and 4 year olds)

From 2024, the NSW Government is providing additional fee relief funding of $4,220 per eligible child. This enables NSW preschools to reduce the daily fee as much as possible, within the Start Strong funding parameters.

This funding is for children who:

Turn 3 or 4 years of age by 31 July of the preschool year, and
Are enrolled in a preschool program for 15 hours per week. At KU preschools, the ‘15 hours’ is usually met by enrolling in two 7.5-hour days per week.

Start Strong fee relief can only be accessed at one service, either a preschool or long day care service. This ensures as many children as possible can access affordable early childhood education.

To be eligible for Start Strong fee relief funding, the NSW Department of Education requires parents to sign the ‘Fee Relief Declaration and Consent’ form at the time of enrolment.

Start Strong Equity Fee Relief Fee

The NSW Government provides further funding for children who meet the Start Strong Equity funding criteria. These include:

Children with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background
Children from a family holding a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card
Children with disability or additional needs

If you think you may be eligible for Equity funding, please speak with the Preschool Director further about this.

Unfunded Fee

The Unfunded Fee is charged when a family has chosen to access the Start Strong fee relief at another community preschool or long day care service.

A little more about our fees…

KU has remained very proudly a not-for-profit provider of quality education for more than 129 years. Our fees are designed to cover the operational costs of delivering the unique KU learning experience, and to ensure KU can continue delivering those experiences for many years to come.

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.

If you have any questions about our fees, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Family testimonials

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KU Merewether Preschool parent

“Overall we have had a great experience. My daughter has loved preschool from her very first day. We feel so fortunate to have been part of KU Merewether. Our daughter has always been supported, nurtured and encouraged. KU Merewether and all of the staff have provided a happy, safe, diverse and engaging environment and helped build the skills needed to be school ready.”

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KU Merewether Preschool parent

“My son loves going here. The progression we’ve seen in him since attending has been extraordinary. He speaks so highly of both the staff and the experiences they offer him. There is such a variety of things to do there, both indoor and outdoor. It’s so much more interesting to him than the activities that he does at the other daycare he goes to.”

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KU Merewether Preschool parent

“The indoor/outdoor program allows children the freedom to access all play spaces, ensuring that play is a priority. The wonderful educators prioritise building relationships with children and spending time supporting their play and learning.”

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KU Merewether Preschool parent

“We love KU Merewether. The centre is so friendly, well organised and promotes independence in the children. It’s the kindest, safest place and my children love attending.”

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KU Merewether Preschool parent

“Lovely educators and staff who made an effort to get know our family from day one. They engaged with our son immediately and made him feel comfortable. Thank you for all the hard work you put in to make our children feel safe and included.”

Apply to KU Merewether Preschool today

KU Merewether Preschool offers high-quality early childhood education, where brilliant staff and the play-based program benefit from over 125 years of sector experience. At KU your child is given the best chance to build a great foundation for lifelong learning. Apply now.