Our preschool

Why choose our public preschool?

Our public preschool is a fee-free preschool here at Australia Street Infants School. It’s an easy choice for local families with young children.

At our preschool, children explore, ask questions and grow in a safe and caring place. Our friendly team helps each child learn and feel good through fun, hands-on play that builds confidence and curiosity.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child to our preschool. Contact us to talk to our team, book a tour or join our waitlist.

Our Philosophy

The Child

We view each child as a capable learner, confident to direct their own learning while also being responsive to the educators who support them. We acknowledge that children learn and develop in different ways and at different times. Each is on their own educational journey as they explore a wide variety of learning experiences.

We understand that children must be loved, nurtured, and challenged in a way that builds a strong self-image, and engenders self-esteem through accomplishment, self-recognition, and a growing understanding of how they learn best. We know that play is essential in the lives of young children and should be flexible, stimulating, inviting and purposefully arranged. We provide a curriculum that focuses on creativity and discovery, where children are supported to explore open-ended experiences. A place where all children are provided equal access to curriculum so they can develop and grow to meet their full potential.

Families and Community

Our service embraces diversity and promotes equity and inclusion for all stakeholders. We value that parents are the child’s first educator and as such appreciate the importance of collaboration with Family. These relationships are based on mutual respect and understanding for all involved. We place a great deal of importance on our connections to and relationships that we form with families and the wider community and work with an open heart and mind.

Educators

Our educators value their role as facilitators, encouraging, promoting, and supporting each child’s development as they explore their environment and those within it.

We believe that each child’s learning is enhanced through teacher quality and wellbeing. Therefore, we maintain a commitment towards ongoing professional development opportunities, together with individual and group reflective practice to ensure positive high education standards. We work collaboratively as a team to challenge, question, evaluate and synthesise our practice and pedagogy. Thus, ensuring opportunity for each child to meet their full potential in a nurturing environment where adults, children and their families have a voice, as together we build a sense of becoming, being and belonging.

The Environment

Our environment is flexible, stimulating, inviting and purposefully arranged to capture children’s interests, ideas and to cater for individual needs. In providing a stimulating and responsive environment where positive reinforcement and encouragement make learning possible, we are creating a foundation that will support our children to be prepared to thrive as confident, empathetic and socially aware members of the community. By providing opportunities for risky play, we aid in the development of self-confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Education is seen as a shared journey of self-discovery and meaningful change.
In building these ideals, we are building a community that enables children to develop a readiness for transition to school and ultimately a readiness for a lifelong learning journey.

Preschool days and hours

Our preschool is open for 6 hours a day from 9.00 AM to 3.00 PM on the same days as all NSW public schools. We offer 40 places each year, which attend in 2 groups consisting of 20 children: A Group and B Group.

A Group attends Monday, Tuesday and every second Wednesday.

B Group attend every second Wednesday and Thursday, Friday

Fees

We do not charge fees to attend our preschool. NSW public preschools are funded by the NSW government.

Attendance

Public preschools enrol children for one year only, the year before they start school.

Children can enrol from the beginning of the school year if they turn 4 years of age before 31 July that year.

Meals

Children bring their own meals and snacks to preschool. For more information, please contact us.

How to enrol

Unlike NSW public schools, there are no intake areas for public preschools. Enrolment is on application only.

To apply, please complete and submit the Expression of Interest form below to australist-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au from 8:30am on Monday 20th April 2026.

Please note that no early applications will be accepted.

Expression of interest to enrol in a NSW public preschool

First Round Offers

To be considered for first round offers your expression of interest form must be submitted by 5pm on Friday 31st July 2026. We will continue to accept applications after this date, however, they will not be considered for first round offers.

First round offers will be notified on Monday 10th August 2026.

Department of Education General Guidelines

Please Note: There is a high demand for placement into the Australia Street Infants School Preschool with the school consistently receiving more applications for enrolment than places available.

The school follows eligibility criteria set out in the Department's preschool enrolment procedures. If the number of applicants exceeds the places available, the school's placement panel will consider each application and make recommendations for placement according to the Department's eligibility criteria and priority set out below.

Public preschools enrol children for one year only, the year before they start school.
Children can enrol from the beginning of the school year if they turn four years of age before 31 July that year.

Priority is given to:

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children
children living in low socio-economic circumstances
children who are unable to access other early childhood settings due to financial hardship.

The principal of the school will then offer enrolment in the following order: