meet KU Chatswood Preschool

KU Chatswood Community Preschool  is a finalist in the 2018 HESTA Early Childhood Education & Care Awards Building Inclusion category. 

KU Chatswood Community Preschool is a not-for-profit kindergarten that caters to families from a broad range of cultural backgrounds.

Recognising the importance of building an inclusive environment for new families, the preschool re-designed its welcome program to better cater to the needs of its culturally diverse community.

Identifying the importance of involving families in the welcome process, they developed a ‘pay it forward’ strategy, where parents with children already attending the preschool were recruited to help with orientating new families. 

This was supported by a ‘stay and play’ approach where families were encouraged to catch-up with one another outside of the preschool.

The new welcome program encourages members of the preschool to form friendships in addition to shaping parents into advocates for the preschool’s work and pedagogy.