Ready, set, go
Our Senior Kindy Studio, designed for
3-4 Years
Our preschool prep program prepares your child for the transition into the Kindergarten program. In our senior kindy studio, your child will be able to participate in activities both on their own or in small or large groups, geared to broaden their experience and foster their holistic development. Our qualified educators interact with each child and structure the curriculum to suit their unique needs.
We deliver a wide range of learning opportunities based on children learning through play and what they observe, as well as planned experiences from our educators and from parent input. We encourage and accept parent input, because including family in the early learning journey enriches the experience.
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Developmental Support
How Our Senior Kindy
Studio Works
Learning through play
Emotional, social and cognitive skills built through stories, art, construction, puzzles, group games and gross motor activity — not worksheets.
Expressing ideas
Individual and group activities that give children a way to put their own thinking into the world and have it taken seriously.
Parent input welcomed
We plan around what you tell us. Family knowledge of a child is the most useful information in the room, and we ask for it.
Ready for Kindergarten
Everything here builds towards Queensland's Kindergarten program, so your child starts that year already confident in the routines and the group.
Enquire about a place.
Senior Kindy or Kindergarten?
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.
Cognitive Development
Our Goal
Transition to Kindergarten through play-based learning
We prepare children for our approved kindergarten program by developing their emotional, social and cognitive skills through activities that include stories and literacy, arts and crafts, construction and manipulation toys, puzzles, gross motor activities and group games.
Room to grow
Our focus
Empowering children to express ideas and make connections
Our program includes individual and group play-based activities to facilitate expression of children's ideas, enhance creativity and broaden their understanding of the world around them. Our preschool is well equipped to provide your child with ample resources to stimulate their creativity.
Where your child does the deciding
What to expect between three and four
By this year the question stops being whether your child is developing normally and starts being whether they'll manage a classroom. These are the things that decide it.
Around 3 years
Playing together properly
Wanting to dress, feed and manage themselves, with frustration when it doesn't work. Longer sentences. Sorting and matching. Testing limits to find out where they are.
With us: enough time in the routine to let a child do it slowly rather than having it done for them. Choices offered constantly. Consistent, calm limits.
Around 3.5 years
Concentration and ideas
Sustained attention on self-chosen work. Counting and recognising some letters, often their own name. Drawing with clear intent. Managing most self-care. Negotiating with other children instead of grabbing.
With us: projects that carry across several days rather than being packed away each afternoon. Early literacy and numeracy woven through play. Children asked to explain their thinking, not just produce an answer.
Around 4 years
Ready for the kindergarten
Sitting with a group for a shared experience. Explaining ideas and asking about other people's. Beginning to write letters. Understanding rules and fairness — and objecting loudly when something isn't fair. Managing belongings, toileting and meals independently.
With us: routines that echo the kindy year. Growing responsibility inside the room. Transition conversations with you about timing.
Independence is key to growth
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.
Rated by the national regulator
Smart Tots Alexandra Hills - Meeting
Smart Tots Capalaba - Meeting
Smart Tots Mt Cotton - Meeting
Caring Educators
The same faces, day after day
The year before Kindy is when children start explaining their thinking, and that only happens with adults who have time to listen properly. Stable, experienced teams are what make that possible. Every educator holds at least a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, and our Studios are led by educators holding a Diploma.
F A Q's
Questions parents
ask us
What's the difference between Senior Kindy and Kindergarten?
In Queensland, Kindergarten means the government-approved program in the year before Prep, delivered by a bachelor-qualified teacher, for children who turn four by 30 June. Senior Kindy is our own program for the year before that.
Is Senior Kindy the same as preschool?
“Preschool” gets used loosely in Australia. In Queensland the official pre-school year is Kindergarten. Senior Kindy is the year before it.
Does my child have to do Senior Kindy before Kindergarten?
No. It isn't a prerequisite, and children join our Kindergarten program from all sorts of starting points. But children who've done the year usually settle faster and need less support in the routines.
Is there any formal learning?
Literacy and numeracy are part of every day, but through stories, songs, counting, sorting, construction and conversation rather than worksheets. Children this age learn by doing and by talking about what they did.
Can I have input into the program?
Yes, and we ask for it. Tell us what your child is into at home, what they're struggling with, what's changed. Family knowledge is the most useful information in the room, and it gets built into planning.
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.
When will my child start Kindergarten?
The year before Prep, if they turn four by 30 June that year. If you're not sure which year that is, the Queensland Government's kindy age checker will tell you, or ask us and we'll work it out with you.
Can I get government subsidy for my fees?
Most families are eligible for the Child Care Subsidy, paid directly to us to reduce your out-of-pocket fees. The amount depends on your family income, activity level and type of care. Services Australia can confirm your entitlement, and we're happy to help you work out your likely fees.
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 a place.
Come and see the Studio
There's only so much a website can tell you. Book a tour and spend twenty minutes in our Senior Kindy Studio — watch how the educators talk to the children, see where your child would sleep, and ask us anything you like.
Family-owned, Redlands-based, and here for the questions you haven't thought of yet.