Prep/Teacher Aides Survey Response

[Ponyboy]

Earlier this year I signed a petition regarding the number of teacher aides assigned to prep classes in Qld.

Today I received this response: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/vie...onses/scan.pdf

Of particular interest to me was this quote:
The decision to replace part-time sessional preschool with a full-time, universally available
Preparatory Year program was based on statewide consultations with parents, teachers and
other education stakeholders during the development of Queensland State Education 2010.

Can I ask the BubHub forum users if any of you were consulted regarding the introduction of prep??

I find it interesting how sometimes government say they consulted people before implementing something but in reality only a small percentage of the whole population was consulted. So if anyone recals being surveyed/consulted with regard to prep, can you share the questions asked etc etc?

I do have a concern for my DD (who will not be entering prep for another 4 years) going straight into a full time schooling role where in the past it was introduced part time. I also worry, should she never go into daycare/childcare, how she will adjust to it?!?

[TwoBoysOnly]

I personally wasn't consultated however my son started full time prep at a private school at the beginning of this year however we moved so now he goes to fulltime preschool at a school. He LOVED prep and after 2 weeks adjusted to the 5 days a week and uniform wearing just fine. It is no different to those who did not send their kids to preschool and then put them straight into grade 1. I think you'll find a lot of kids are just 'ready' for more than preschool can offer at that age - hence the introduction of a more formal year for them, however it is still play based so therefore it still has some 'preschool' aspects to it.

[Seekrit]

Prep isn't compulsary, and there are still privately run preschool programs if you want the part time learning that preschool had to offer. Lots of children enter year 1 without previous preschool experience and adjust fine So long as they have a happy and supportive home environment where they can begin to learn there, so they're not left behind come the start of year one.