Important changes for July children

Updated September 2015

The QLD Government has now reversed the change to the Kindy eligibility age made in January 2015. The cut off date is June 30th each year.

More information can be found here.

Jan 2015

Parents will no doubt have read about the unexpected changes to the Kindy and Prep eligiblity cut offs across the media in the last week. We can now confirm that the kindergarten birthday cut off date has been moved to July 31st from June 30th of each year, and that the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme will now extend funded kindy places to July children for entry in January 2015.

What does this actually mean?

Effective immediately, this means that children born from 1 July 2010 to 31 July 2011 are eligible to attend kindergarten in 2015. There will be a small number of children with birthdays in July 2011 who were previously not eligible for a kindergarten place this year. If your child was born in July 2011, and you would like for them to attend one of our kindergarten programs this year, please contact Kenmore Park on 07 3378 4469 or by email at info@kenmorepark.com.au.

Does this mean that my July 2010 child can now attend Prep in 2015?

Possibly. These changes mean that July 2010 children now become eligible for consideration for ‘Early entry to Prep’. This is offered at the discretion of school Principals and will be conditional upon your child being considered ready for Prep.

The evidence supports better learning and developmental outcomes for children who are older upon entering the formal schooling environment, and who attend a quality, play-based program prior to school entry. Many early childhood professionals are baffled by the changes, which will allow younger children to potentially bypass a valuable kindergarten experience and move into formal lessons at an earlier age. We would urge any KPPK parents considering this move to contact Kate or Annie to discuss their child’s progress to enable you to make the best decision for your child.

What if my July 2011 child attends kindy in 2015, but they aren’t ready to move up to Prep in 2016?

The good news is that July children will automatically remain eligible for kindergarten places the following year. So, your July 2011 child may attend kindy in 2015, and ALSO attend kindy in 2016. This is an automatic entitlement and does not require any special applications.