Building confident learners
Queensland Government approved, for
The Year Before Prep
Our Kindergarten program is developed under Queensland Government guidelines and is delivered by a bachelor-qualified teacher. Educators guide children by designing learning environments that develop the essential skills that let children work and play cooperatively, share, and take turns.
Children expand their fine and gross motor skills and express their creativity with a variety of materials. These experiences build confidence and refine self-help skills, and children explore and discover the world around them through active participation in guided learning and free play.
Visit Your Smart Tots Centre Today
Enrol Now
Kindergarten
What makes this program different
Government approved
Developed under Queensland Government guidelines as an approved kindergarten program, which is what makes it eligible for Free Kindy
A bachelor-qualified teacher
Delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher — a requirement of approval, and the clearest difference between the kindy year and the years before it.
STEAM through play
Science, technology, engineering and maths built into the curriculum as hands-on investigation rather than instruction.
Ready for the Kindergarten
At Alexandra Hills, Pre-Prep visits to Vienna Woods State School give children a genuine taste of big school before they get there.
Seeing The Child
Free Kindy at
Smart Tots
Queensland's Free Kindy funding covers 15 hours a week of an approved kindergarten program, for 40 weeks of the year — 600 hours in total. It isn't income tested, and families don't need to apply or claim. The funding is paid directly to us and shows up as a reduction on your fees.
Your child is eligible in the year they turn four by 30 June. For a child attending long day care, the funding covers the kindergarten program hours; the rest of the day is charged as normal, and the Child Care Subsidy usually reduces that too.
Smart Tots is an approved kindergarten provider at Alexandra Hills, Mt Cotton and Capalaba. If you'd like help working out which year your child is eligible and what you'd actually pay, call us, and we'll go through it with you.
What's The Difference
Free Kindy at Smart Tots
Queensland's naming makes this harder than it needs to be. In Queensland, the first year of school is called Prep, and the year before Prep is called Kindergarten — a specific, government-approved program, not a general word for preschool.
Senior Kindy is the year before that.
01
One educator to every eleven children, the Queensland requirement for children over three.
02
Literacy and numeracy inside play — stories, rhyme, counting, sorting, noticing letters and patterns, rather than formal instruction.
03
Individual, small group and whole group activities each day, so your child practises both joining in and working alone.
04
Your input built into the planning. Tell us what your child is into at home and it turns up in the room.
05
Construction, puzzles, manipulation toys and art with real choice of materials — the work that builds concentration and problem solving.
06
Gross motor activity and group games every day, indoors and out.
Play based learning
Our Goal
Preparing children for formal school life
Children are given the skills to prepare for entry into formal school life, including a greater understanding of literacy, numeracy, the arts, inquiry, language and the alphabet. We actively incorporate STEAM activities into our curriculum, so children can discover and explore their world through play-based learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
School Readiness
Our focus
Co-operative play that expands every level of skill
Our school readiness program gives your child the opportunity to expand their social, emotional and cognitive skills so that they're confident when the time comes to begin formal schooling. We offer children experiences that extend their thinking, reasoning and problem-solving abilities.
What “school readiness” actually means
Most parents assume school readiness is about letters and numbers. Teachers will tell you it usually isn't. The children who settle fastest into Prep are the ones who can manage themselves, join a group, and keep going when something is hard.
Managing themselves
Toileting, eating, dressing, keeping track of a bag and a hat, asking an adult for help. Unglamorous, and the biggest single predictor of a smooth first term.
Persisting
Staying with something difficult instead of abandoning it. We build this by letting children struggle productively rather than stepping in early.
Early literacy and numeracy
Recognising their name, hearing rhyme and sound patterns, counting with meaning, noticing letters and numbers in the world. Foundations built through play, not formal instruction.
Joining a group
Sitting with others for a shared experience, taking turns, listening while someone else talks, and handling not going first.
Communicating
Explaining an idea, asking a question, telling an adult what's wrong. This matters far more on day one of Prep than knowing the alphabet.
And if they're not there yet
It's worth talking about early rather than in November. Your child's teacher shares observations through the year, and we'll be honest with you about what we're seeing.
A home away from home
Empowering Children
The things you
shouldn't have to ask about
Ratios
One educator to every eleven children, the Queensland requirement for children over three.
Friendship problems
Handled directly and in the moment. Disputes at this age are how children learn to negotiate, so educators support children through them rather than separating and moving on.
Qualified in an emergency
All educators hold current first aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis training, child protection training and a valid Queensland Blue Card.
Rest and quiet time
A quiet period each day. Most children this age don't sleep, so it's usually rest, books or a calm activity — but a child who needs a sleep can have one.
Allergies and dietary needs
Individual plans are documented, displayed in the kitchen and the Studio, and known by every educator.
See Smart Tots in action
Programs for every little chapter.
Our program is built on the Early Years Learning Framework, the national curriculum for early childhood and shaped by what each child is genuinely curious about.
Alexandra Hills
Vienna Woods Pre-Prep visits
In collaboration with Vienna Woods State School, our Alexandra Hills Kindergarten group takes part in a Pre-Prep visits program. Over several weeks, children join activities at the school to get a taste of “big school” and to help them transition successfully. At these sessions, Kindy children share stories, join in activities, and use Vienna Woods facilities including the Discovery Centre, Music Room and the Oval.
Mt Cotton
Mt Cotton State School Pre-Prep visits
In collaboration with Mt Cotton State School, our Mt Cotton Kindergarten group takes part in a Pre-Prep visits program. Over several weeks, children participate in activities at the school to get a taste of “big school” and help them transition successfully. At these sessions, kindy children share stories, join in activities, and use Mt Cotton facilities including the library and playground.
Capalaba
Alexandra Hills State School
In collaboration with Alexandra Hills State School, our Alexandra Hills Kindergarten group takes part in a Pre-Prep visits program. Over several weeks, children participate in activities at the school to get a taste of “big school” and help them transition successfully. At these sessions, kindy children share stories, join in activities, and use the Alexandra Hills facilities.
F A Q's
Questions parents
ask us
Is Kindy free in Queensland?
For eligible children, the approved kindergarten program is. Free Kindy covers 15 hours a week for 40 weeks, isn't income tested, and requires no application from families — it's paid directly to us and reduces your fees. In long day care, any hours outside the kindergarten program are charged as normal, and the Child Care Subsidy usually applies to those.
When is my child eligible for kindy?
In the year they turn four by 30 June. A child who turns four after 30 June is generally eligible the following year. If you're unsure, call us and we'll work it out with you, or use the Queensland Government's kindy age checker.
Is Kindergarten the same as Prep?
No. In Queensland, Prep is the first year of school. Kindergarten is the year before Prep. Other states use the word differently, which is where most of the confusion comes from.
What's the difference between Kindergarten and Senior Kindy?
Kindergarten is the Queensland Government approved program in the year before Prep, delivered by a bachelor-qualified teacher and eligible for Free Kindy. Senior Kindy is our own program for the year before that.
Who teaches the program?
A bachelor-qualified early childhood teacher. This is a requirement of an approved kindergarten program.
How will I know what my child is doing each day?
Updates through Storypark with photos and observations, plus a conversation with your educator at pick-up.
What happens if my child gets sick at care?
We'll call you. If your child has a fever, is vomiting, or is unsettled in a way that isn't like them, we'll let you know early rather than waiting until pick-up. Exclusion periods follow Queensland Health guidance.
How many days a week does my child need to attend?
Free Kindy funding generally requires a minimum attendance pattern to access the full 15 hours.
Do you do STEM?
Yes, built into the curriculum as hands-on investigation — building, testing, measuring, predicting and finding out — rather than as a separate subject.
Close to home
Find your
Smart Tots.
Three welcoming centres, one shared commitment: helping children feel secure, capable and excited to learn.
Alexandra Hills
Our founding centre, open since 2016, has 95 licensed places, a warm, dedicated team of educators and a Reggio Emilia-inspired approach.
Mt Cotton
99 licensed places in a bushland setting, recently refurbished, with a team our families single out by name.
Capalaba
A smaller, more boutique centre with 77 places across our four rooms, a caring team of educators, and a recently upgraded outdoor environment.
Enquire about enrolments
Kindergarten places for 2027
Kindergarten places are usually the first to go, and families tend to book a year ahead. Come and meet the teacher, see the room, and we'll talk through eligibility and what you'd actually pay.
Family-owned, Redlands-based, and here for the questions you haven't thought of yet.