The 3 Day Guarantee begins on 5 Jan 2026. Child Care Subsidy for more families!

KDY 3.5 years 5 years 60.00 42.00

All our kindergartens deliver C&K's quality kindergarten program. Kindergarten, also known as pre-prep or preschool, is a program for children who are turning 4 by June 30 in the year before they attend school. C&K’s kindy programs are government-approved and led by experienced and university qualified teachers. Our program supports children’s curiosity, creativity, problem solving, resilience and real-world knowledge and skills.

At C&K, we know that children do not learn in isolation, so we approach learning as a collaborative relationship between teachers, educators, children and families. We believe children are powerful learners, active citizens, thinkers and theorisers - this is at the heart of our early childhood curriculum. We've designed our indoor and outdoor spaces to ignite imaginations and nurture healthy minds and bodies. Learning through play is an integral part of our education program. Our educators skilfully enrich and extend children's play
experiences, creating a learning program that is tailored and meaningful for your child.

Your child’s learning journey is shared with you via conversations with your child’s educators, through written documentation and through Storypark (an app and website).

Two children sitting at the top of a slide togetherChildren playing outside with bright coloured blocksChildren playing outside in water tray

Memorial Park Community Kindergarten

3.5 years - 5 years

Memorial Park Community Kindergarten

Welcome to Memorial Park Community Kindergarten. A place where play takes centre stage in your child’s education and where children are given time to explore, discover and learn! At Memorial Park kindy we provide a fun, stimulating and natural environment that will foster learning through real life experiences. We strive to provide a program that is play based but also incorporates intentional teaching, focusing on the needs and interests of the child and accepting and embracing that each child is a unique individual with his/her own pattern of development, temperament and potential for learning.

We are committed to ensuring that our program reflects and meets the needs and interests of the Maroochydore community based on the principles of social inclusion, participation and equity, and we celebrate the diversity within our community. We acknowledge the importance of the Gubbi Gubbi community in the life of our kindergarten.

As an affiliated centre of C&K, Memorial Park Community Kindergarten receives support from C&K as the Central Governing Body but operates as an independent incorporated association managed by a volunteer management committee. Centres affiliated with C&K receive comprehensive support in governance, including managing kindergarten and inclusion funding, training for committees and educators, advice and support regarding inclusion, use of the C&K brand, curriculum approach and resource materials.

Kindy begins! Let's play.

20th November 2025
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The first day of kindy is finally here, an exciting milestone filled with new faces, discoveries, and adventures! We’re here to let you know it’s natural to feel a mix of excitement and nerves, and it’s normal for there to be some ups and downs during the first few weeks.

Understanding the settling-in period

It's completely normal for children to experience a range of emotions during their first week. Here's what you might see:

Day one excitement: Many children are happy and curious on the first day, eager to explore their new environment.

The reality check: By day two or three, some children realise this is their new routine and may become tearful or resistant. This is normal and temporary.

Different timelines: Some children settle immediately, while others need several weeks. Both experiences are perfectly normal, and your child's teachers understand this completely.

Ups and downs: Your child might have a great morning and a difficult afternoon, or vice versa. Emotions can fluctuate as they adjust.

Supporting your child through the transition

Maintain routines: Consistent wake-up times, meals, and bedtimes help children feel secure during periods of change.

Ask open-ended questions: Instead of "Did you have fun?" try "What did you play with today?" or "Who did you sit with at lunch?" This encourages more detailed sharing.

Listen without pressure: If your child doesn't want to talk about kindy immediately, that's okay. Some children need processing time before they're ready to share.

Acknowledge feelings: If your child expresses worry or sadness, validate their emotions: "It's okay to feel nervous about new things. That shows you're brave for trying."

Celebrate small wins: "You made a new friend!" or “You were brave when you waved me goodbye today!”. These acknowledgements build confidence.

Stay consistent: Even if mornings are difficult, maintaining the routine shows your child that kindy is a safe, normal part of their life.

Connecting with your child's teachers

Your child's educators are your partners in this journey.

Share important information: Let teachers know about your child's interests, fears, dietary needs, or anything that might help them provide better support.

Ask questions: Teachers welcome your questions about how your child is settling in, what they're learning, and how you can support them at home.

Trust their expertise: Teachers have guided countless children through this transition and understand that every child settles at their own pace.

Communicate concerns: If you're worried about something, speak up. Early communication helps address issues before they become bigger problems.

Be patient with yourself: This is a transition for you too, and it's okay to have your own feelings about it.

What the kindy team are doing to help

Behind the scenes, your child's teachers are:

  • Creating a warm, welcoming environment where every child feels valued
  • Establishing predictable routines that help children feel secure
  • Offering choices to give children a sense of control
  • Redirecting attention when children are upset, engaging them in activities they enjoy
  • Building individual relationships with each child, learning their personalities and preferences
  • Communicating regularly with families about their child's progress and experiences
  • Watching for signs that a child needs extra support or comfort
Common first week challenges and solutions

"My child cries at drop-off": This is very common and usually resolves within minutes after you leave. Teachers will update you if tears persist.

"My child is exhausted": Kindy is physically and emotionally demanding. Ensure early bedtimes and quiet downtime after pick-up.

"My child won't talk about their day": Some children need time to decompress. Try asking specific questions later, or let them share when they're ready.

"My child says they don't want to go back": This is normal during the adjustment period. Stay positive, maintain the routine, and work with teachers to understand what's happening.

When to seek extra support

While most children settle within a few weeks, please reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any concerns.

Building confidence for starting kindy: A guide for parents

19th November 2025
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Starting kindy is an exciting milestone for both children and parents. In the months leading up to that first day, there are many simple, joyful ways you can help your child build the confidence and skills they need to thrive in their new learning environment.

Why early preparation matters

Kindy is a wonderful time for your child to develop the social and emotional skills that will help them build friendships, navigate new experiences, and feel confident in their learning journey. The good news? You can start nurturing these skills at home right now, making the transition smoother and more enjoyable for everyone.

Building independence skills
Practicing everyday tasks helps children feel capable and confident. In the months before kindy starts, try:

  • Lunchbox mastery: Let your child practice opening containers, unwrapping snacks, and using utensils independently
  • Self-care routines: Encourage them to wash their hands, put on their shoes, and zip their backpack
  • Morning routines: Establish a consistent pattern of getting dressed, eating breakfast, and packing their bag so the rhythm feels familiar
  • Celebrate small wins: Each time they master a new skill, acknowledge their achievement with enthusiasm

Nurturing social and emotional skills
These skills form the foundation for positive relationships and emotional wellbeing:

  • Name those feelings: Ask "How does that make you feel?" and validate their emotions, helping them develop emotional awareness and vocabulary
  • Practice sharing and turn-taking: Use simple games and everyday activities to build patience and cooperation
  • Model kindness: Practice using words like "please," "thank you," and "can I have a turn?" until they become natural
  • Build empathy: Talk about how friends or book characters might be feeling to help your child understand others' emotions
  • Encourage problem-solving: When challenges arise, ask "What could we do?" to empower them to think through solutions
  • Praise the effort: Focus on persistence and trying rather than just outcomes, building resilience for new experiences

Reducing separation anxiety
Saying goodbye can be difficult, but these strategies can help ease the transition:

  • Practice goodbye routines: Create a special hug, wave, or phrase you'll use each morning, then practice it at home
  • Read kindy stories together: Books about starting school help children visualise their day in a positive way
  • Visit beforehand: If possible, explore the kindy together so the environment feels familiar and welcoming
  • Talk about the reunion: Remind your child that you'll always come back, and discuss what you'll do together after kindy
  • Keep goodbyes brief and positive: Long, emotional farewells can increase anxiety - a warm hug and confident "See you soon!" works best
  • Trust the teachers: Your child's educators are experienced in supporting children through this transition

Building social confidence
Help your child feel comfortable in group settings:

  • Arrange playdates: Spending time with other children helps them practice social skills in a comfortable environment
  • Visit playgrounds: Local parks provide opportunities to play alongside peers and navigate shared spaces
  • Talk excitedly about kindy: Share what they'll experience - new friends, fun activities, outdoor play, and learning adventures
  • Read social stories: Books about friendship, sharing, and kindness reinforce positive social behaviours

Remember: Every child settles at their own pace

It's important to remember that every child is unique, and there's no "right" timeline for settling into kindy. Some children skip through the gates on day one, while others need a few weeks to feel fully comfortable. Both experiences are completely normal.

Your child's teachers understand this and will work with you to support your child's individual needs. They've guided countless children through this transition and know that patience, consistency, and understanding help every child find their confidence in their own time.

Some children may have teary mornings for the first week, others might take a little longer - and that's ok. What matters is that you and your child's educators work together to provide reassurance, maintain routines, and celebrate small steps forward.

The week before kindy starts
As the first day approaches:

  • Talk positively about what's ahead without putting pressure on your child
  • Ensure they're well-rested and maintaining regular mealtimes
  • Pack their bag together
  • Label everything clearly so belongings can be easily identified
  • Prepare yourself emotionally too - your calm, confident energy helps your child feel secure

You've got this!

Starting kindy is a significant step, but you're not taking it alone. Your child's teachers, the C&K community, and other parents are all part of this journey. Trust in your child's ability to adapt, celebrate their courage in trying new things, and remember that with your support and their educators' guidance, they'll flourish in their own perfect time.

The skills you're building now - independence, emotional awareness, social confidence, and resilience - will serve your child not just in kindy, but throughout their entire learning journey. We are so happy to be along for this exciting journey!

The Benefits of a Quality Kindergarten Program at C&K

13th November 2025
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Is your family wondering whether attending kindergarten is the right choice for your child? While not mandatory, attending kindy offers extensive benefits and opportunities for learning and growth. Read on to understand why attending kindy is highly recommended amongst early childhood professionals.

What is kindergarten?

In Queensland, kindergarten is a part-time educational program for children in the year before they start prep at school. It is delivered by a university-qualified Early Childhood Teacher (ECT), and is typically offered for 15 hours a week, over 40 weeks a year. To make kindy accessible to more families, the Queensland Government is funding Free Kindy for eligible children – that’s 600 hours to explore, play, and learn, for FREE.



What are the benefits of kindy? What do children learn?

There are numerous benefits to be gained from attending a government-approved kindergarten program at C&K. Our program develops your child's physical, social, cognitive, language, and emotional abilities, and plays a key role in ensuring a smooth transition to school. This looks like:

  • Learning in a small classroom environment. Groups consist of the same children, the same age as your child, led by the same educators each day. Each group usually has no more than 22 children, allowing for meaningful interactions and strong friendship bonds in an environment that isn’t overwhelmingly busy. Children become familiar with following a daily schedule, transitioning between activities, and understanding classroom expectations.
  • Building independence and confidence. Children are encouraged to develop life skills, preparing them for the challenges they will encounter in a school environment. What might seem like small tasks, such as learning how to open and close their own lunchbox or apply their own sunscreen, are major steps toward building your child’s autonomy.
  • Developing early reading, literacy, and numeracy skills. Learning opportunities are skillfully planned by your child’s ECT to introduce these concepts through play, keeping children engaged, curious, and excited about learning.
  • Strengthening social and emotional skills. Children learn to express their feelings, understand others' emotions, and navigate social situations with guidance from their ECT. Through group activities and collaborative play, they develop empathy, learn to share and take turns, and build emotional resilience.
  • Enhancing physical development and coordination. Both fine and gross motor skills are developed through purposeful play activities, such as drawing, building, climbing, and playing ball games. These activities help children develop the coordination and body awareness they need for tasks like writing, using scissors, and participating in sports.
  • Fostering creativity and imagination. Kindy provides dedicated time and resources for artistic expression, dramatic play, and creative problem-solving. Children explore various materials, engage in open-ended projects, and are encouraged to think imaginatively, which helps them develop conviction in their own ideas and creative abilities.

What if traditional kindy hours don’t work for my family?

Want your child to experience kindy but need more than 15 hours of care a week? Select C&K kindergartens offer an extended hours program. The extended hours program commences from the end of the core kindergarten program, and continues the children's learning into the afternoon until 6pm or later. Holiday programs are also available.

Don’t have a kindergarten with extended hours in your area? C&K childcare centres also offer government-approved kindergarten programs led by an ECT. Most centres are open from 6:30am to 6pm (depending on location) and provide flexible booking options, with wrap-around care before and after the core kindy program.

Ready to enrol?

Find your nearest C&K centre to book a tour, or complete an enrolment form to join our waitlist.

Every child belongs: C&K Deception Bay North kindergartens journey to inclusive learning

11th November 2025
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At C&K Deception Bay North Community Kindergarten, inclusion is more than a value - it’s a way of being.

In recent years, the team has undertaken extensive professional development in neuroscience, attachment theory and inclusion support. Their growing expertise has shaped a kindergarten community that not only welcomes children of all abilities but actively celebrates them.

“We’ve seen an increase in children with diverse learning and developmental needs, including those with trauma backgrounds and neurodiversity,” Co-Director/Teachers Liz and Lisa share. “Rather than seeing this as a challenge, it’s become our passion. Every child deserves to feel safe, supported and capable.”

Building safety and trust from day one

The journey begins even before a child’s first day. Families are invited to ‘Stay and Play’ sessions where children can explore, connect and build confidence in their new environment. Educators use this time to get to know each child’s strengths, interests and support needs - the foundation for an individualised Educational Support Plan that guides the team’s approach.

These plans are developed in collaboration with families, therapists and the C&K Central inclusion team, ensuring each child’s learning journey is supported by consistent and responsive strategies.

Understanding behaviour as communication

The team draws on attachment and trauma-informed practices, guided by the principle “Be curious, not furious.” This means viewing behaviour as communication - an opportunity to understand what a child needs rather than a challenge to be managed.

Through careful observation and tools such as behaviour tracking, the educators identify patterns and triggers, adjusting the environment and strategies to help children feel secure and regulated.

A community of belonging

This thoughtful, evidence-based approach has earned C&K Deception Bay North kindy a strong reputation in the community. Families speak of the kindergarten as a safe place where children rediscover confidence, and where educators take the time to understand and celebrate every individual.

Close partnerships with families and professionals have led to successful outcomes for children transitioning into school, with strong foundations of trust, resilience and belonging.

As they prepare to welcome new families for 2026, the team continues to reflect, adapt and grow - ensuring that C&K Deception Bay North remains a place where every child truly belongs.

C&K Sunset Community Kindergarten Open Day

About Event

You're Invited to our Open Day!

Join us for our Open Day event, where we warmly welcome families to explore our centre and discover how we create a nurturing environment for children to learn, play, grow, and flourish. Experience firsthand the joy and support that have made a positive difference for so many families before.

Come and meet our team, see our engaging learning spaces, and feel the vibrant community that makes our centre special. We can't wait to share this journey with you.

C&K has proudly nurtured Queensland children for over 115 years. As a not-for-profit organisation, we always put children at the centre of everything we do, and deliver innovative early learning programs that honour every child's curiosity, individuality and potential.

We look forward to welcoming you 💛

Open Week Events

C&K Eimeo Road Community Kindergarten Open Day

About Event

You're Invited to our Open Day!

Join us for our Open Day event, where we warmly welcome families to explore our centre and discover how we create a nurturing environment for children to learn, play, grow, and flourish. Experience firsthand the joy and support that have made a positive difference for so many families before.

Come and meet our new director and established team, see our engaging learning spaces, and feel the vibrant community that makes our centre special. We can't wait to share this journey with you.

C&K has proudly nurtured Queensland children for over 115 years. As a not-for-profit organisation, we always put children at the centre of everything we do, and deliver innovative early learning programs that honour every child's curiosity, individuality and potential.

Don't forget to ask about joining our scavenger hunt, and grab a goodie bag! We look forward to welcoming you💛

Open Week Events

C&K Teacher wins prestigious award for innovative approach to learning in an age of instant gratification

17th October 2025
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Rebecca Bowen, Teacher/Director at C&K Oaks Beach Community Kindergarten in Bundaberg, has been awarded the prestigious Merline Muldoon Memorial Award for Innovation in Teaching at the 2025 TEACHX Awards.

Rebecca, who has dedicated 27 years to early childhood education, was recognised for her thoughtful approach to rekindling natural curiosity in an age of instant digital gratification.

In 2024, Rebecca observed that many children in her cohort demonstrated minimal inquisitiveness and a reluctance to explore their world – instead seeking instant answers and immediate resolution.

Rather than accepting this as the new normal, Rebecca embraced her own natural curiosity, and transformed her practice to challenge this change, and profoundly impacted children's learning.

"Winning this award is so exciting. To me, it’s an important recognition of the need to explore and evolve pedagogical approaches in our pursuit of success in an ever-changing world," Rebecca said.

Drawing on research-informed slow pedagogies, Rebecca and her team implemented an innovative framework prioritising depth over speed and wonder over instant answers.

The approach included creating a "Curiosity Cube" with intriguing objects for independent discovery, extensive educator modelling of curiosity through wonder questions, and a "See, Think, Wonder" framework encouraging reflective observations.

Extended investigations allowed children weeks to explore concepts deeply, with one oil and water experiment evolving into rich discussions about ocean conservation and environmental stewardship.

The results have been transformative, with children developing critical thinking skills, deeper questioning abilities, and creative thinking capacities.

"This work challenged us to reflect on our understanding of digital-age children and curiosity—we needed to meet children where they are, not where theory suggested they should be," Rebecca said.

C&K CEO Dr Sandra Cheeseman commended Rebecca on this well-deserved recognition.

"Rebecca's work is a terrific example of C&K's commitment to high-quality early childhood education, as well as our values of putting children first and striving for excellence in everything we do," Dr Cheeseman said.

"This award not only shines an important light on the extraordinary work happening every day in our sector, but it is also a powerful recognition of the professionalism that defines early childhood education. It's during these formative years that we shape how children think, question, and engage with their world – celebrating pedagogical expertise in these spaces is critical."

"Rebecca’s dedication to understanding and responding to the unique challenges facing today's children demonstrates the profound impact that thoughtful, research-informed practice can have on young learners' development."

Rebecca Bowen with her award

About C&K

The Creche & Kindergarten Association Limited (C&K) is one of Queensland’s largest early childhood education providers, with a legacy spanning 117 years.

C&K is a not-for-profit organisation directly operating 182 Kindergartens and Childcare Centres across the state. C&K’s sphere of influence and state-wide network is expanded and strengthened by an additional 143 community kindergartens and independent childcare centres who choose to affiliate with C&K because of the strength of our reputation for quality education and care, and for the support and advice of our highly experienced educational advisors.

About the TEACHX Awards

Commencing in 2009, the TEACHX Awards exemplify significant teacher contributions to schools and early childhood communities across Queensland. Presented by the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT), the awards attract thousands of nominations for registered teachers who have achieved exceptional outcomes. To be nominated for a TEACHX Award is an achievement in itself.

C&K Oakey - The Colour Run & Children's Festival Fundraiser

About Event

Join us for C&K Oakey Community Kindergarten's Colour Run and Children's Festival Fundraiser event!

Where:
C&K Oakey Community Kindergarten
Cnr Stanley & Beale Streets, Oakey

When:
10am to 12pm
(Registration starts at 9:30am)

  • Face painting
  • Cake stall
  • Sausage sizzle
  • Multi-draw raffle
  • Children's activities

Cost:
Free to attend.
Participation in the Colour Run - $10 per adult, $5 per child - paid on the day. Free for children under 2. Family and friends of enrolled children can register for $5 before Friday, 10th October.

Events

C&K Moorooka Art & Music Festival

About Event

Join us for our annual community Art & Music Day on Saturday, October 18th, from 9:30am to 1:30pm.

Where:

C&K Moorooka Community Kindergarten
Blomfield Street, Moorooka (next to Alexander Park)

Cost:

Gold coin donation on arrival.
Children's wristbands are available for purchase, giving unlimited access to activities.

More details to come!

Events
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