Your child’s journey of learning, belonging, and growth begins here.
Our Early Learning Community (ELC) is the first stepping stone in your child’s educational journey at Hillcrest and it is our greatest privilege to nurture your child’s learning journey through their early childhood years.
The foundations laid in the early childhood years are crucial to a child’s development. It is through these foundations children form who they are as individuals.
The ELC aims to provide children with the foundational skills required for lifelong learning and development. We create positive dispositions towards learning where children can grow and develop into competent and confident learners in a dynamic, experiential learning environment; responsive to their strengths, needs, abilities and interests.
We recognise that our young students learn best through play, and our inspirational early learning environment has been designed to encourage hands-on play, child-initiated learning, and peer interaction, giving each child the thrill of discovery.
Our beautiful Early Learning Community is caring, safe, and secure.
Our Pre-Kindy class for 3–4 year olds implements the Early Years Learning Framework, and is led by a qualified Early Childhood Educator.
To enrol your child in our Pre-Kindy class, they must be at least 3 years of age by their first day of commencement.
Our Pre-Kindy classroom caters for 3-4 year olds, and implements the Early Years Learning Framework. Pre-Kindy also operates as a long day care program and is open from 6.30am – 5.30pm, 50 weeks a year. The program is delivered by a qualified Early Childhood Lead Educator, and incorporates our co-curricular Music, French, Library and Sports Program (on set days), as well as art and craft, outdoor activities and much more.
Vacancies within Pre-Kindy are very limited, so if you would like to enrol your child, please contact us.
Our three Kindergarten classrooms each cater for 22 children, and implement the Early Years Learning Framework. Kindy operates within a long day care model, and is open from from 6.30am – 5.30pm, 50 weeks a year.
Each classroom has a qualified Early Childhood Teacher who implements the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines, and who is supported by an Assistant Educator.
A comprehensive Kindergarten program is an essential part of each child’s learning journey and our Kindergarten curriculum creates the framework around which all of the interactions, activities and experiences, both planned and unplanned occur.
This ensures that your child is fully prepared to transition effectively to the new set of learning objectives in our Prep environment.
OPERATING HOURS
ELC is open from 6.30am – 5.30pm, Monday – Friday, 50 weeks per year. ELC is closed all Queensland and National Public Holidays.
SESSION TIMES
The implementation of the new Government Child Care Subsidy (CCS) in 2018 saw a change to the hours that each family is entitled to per fortnight.
Our Centre’s full hours of operation are 11 hours per day (6.30am – 5.30pm) but we understand that not all families need to utilise our service for the full hours of operation.
Our service offers three different session times to provide families with more flexibility, and to help them make the most of the Child Care Subsidy eligible hours. The session times are as follows:
By selecting a certain session, families are not required to keep their child at the Centre for the entire session duration, but means your child will attend within those hours of your nominated session.
Upon enrolment in our Early Learning Community, families will be required to complete a written arrangement, as per CCS requirements, and will be able to select the nominated session times as per your CWA.
The same daily Pre-Kindy and Kindy fee will be implemented for all session times.
Children benefit from having access to an array of facilities within the Early Learning Community and also around the College. These include:
At our ELC, every day is an adventure, filled with laughter, learning, and a whole lot of love!
We believe in nurturing young hearts, growing curious minds, and strengthening little bodies—all while celebrating the goodness of God and the joy of community. Here’s what makes our week extra special:
Ready, set, go! Coach Mitch gets us moving with our Active Kindy program—where tiny legs run fast, little arms stretch wide, and big smiles shine bright! Families are welcome to join in, because why should kids have all the fun? With a focus on gross motor skills, teamwork, and energy-burning excitement, this program is a great way to stay active and engaged.
Tuesdays take us on a journey beyond our borders with our French language to life in a fun and engaging way. But it’s not just about "bonjour" and "merci" it’s about exploring cultures from around the world and growing hearts that appreciate diversity and connection.
For those who love stories, Wednesdays are a real treat. Ms. Lisa brings books to life with her engaging storytelling, sparking curiosity and imagination. We also visit the library to borrow and return our much-loved books, discovering the many ways that reading opens doors to new ideas, adventures, and learning. It’s a wonderful way to build a lifelong love of books at a young age.
Every day at ELC begins with devotions, but Thursday’s Gathering is extra special. Our Chaplain leads us in praise and worship, an interactive Bible story, and a prayerful moment, reminding us of God’s goodness, our beautiful community, and the love that surrounds us.
But that’s not al, First Fives kicks off with agility and mobility skills through the joy of rugby-based teamwork activities! We celebrate achievements, build strength, and cheer each other on as we learn new physical skills in an exciting and inclusive way.
We end the week with music and creativity as we take a musical journey across the world. With instruments from different cultures, rhythm games, and movement activities, she helps us discover the joy of music and expression, one exciting beat at a time!
Our ELC is open from 6:30am to 5:30pm, with our Kindy program running from 9:00am to 2:00pm. We believe every child deserves access to quality early education, which is why our program is supported by Government Kindy funding (Learn more about Free Kindy). Families can also access CCS subsidies through MyGov to help with fees.
Our Kindy classes are led by a Bachelor-qualified Early Childhood Teachers, supported by two experienced educators with Diploma or Certificate III qualifications. But qualifications are just the beginning—our educators bring a wealth of experience, creativity, passion, and innovative approaches to teaching the early years, making learning engaging, meaningful, and fun!
At our ELC, we are more than just a learning space, we are a community that nurtures faith, curiosity, connection and a love for learning in every child.
We’d love to welcome you and your family into our community!
Please find additional information and frequently asked questions. For further details or questions please contact our Director of Early Learning on:
Director of Early Learning
Phone: 07 5655 0910
Email: elc@hillcrest.qld.edu.au
Daily Fee
The daily fee is inclusive of incursions, sunscreen, and our Music, French, Library and Sports program.
Hillcrest Christian College Kindergarten is licensed under the Education and Cares Services National Law 2011 and the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2013, and under the long day care model, eligible families are able to claim CCS (Child Care Subsidy). Find out more about the Child Care Subsidy.
The implementation of the new Government Child Care Subsidy (CCS) in 2018 saw a change to the hours that each family is entitled to per fortnight. Our Centre’s full hours of operation are 11 hours per day (6.30am – 5.30pm) but we understand that not all families need to utilise our service for the full hours of operation.
Our service now offers three different session times to provide families with more flexibility, and to help them make the most of the Child Care Subsidy eligible hours. The session times are as follows:
By selecting a certain session, families are not required to keep their child at the Centre for the entire session duration, but means your child will attend within those hours of your nominated session.
Upon enrolment in our Early Learning Community, families will be required to complete a written arrangement, as per CCS requirements, and will be able to select the nominated session times as per your CWA.
The same daily Pre-Kindy and Kindy fee will be implemented for all session times.
Low or no-cost Kindergarten is provided to eligible families who meet one or more of the following criteria:
The Early Learning Community is located on the Hillcrest Christian College Campus. Please refer to the College Map for details and locations.
Please contact the ELC before visiting as major building projects are currently underway during 2025, which may impact parking and access at certain stages. Contact the office for up to date information and to schedule a tour.
Our Kindy program implements the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines (QKLG) and is developed using the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). At the very heart of the Early Years Learning Framework is the view that early childhood is a time when exploring the notions of being, belonging and becoming are essential to the development of identity, cognitive reasoning and wellbeing. Children in these early years learn through play; it is the work of childhood, and our Kindergarten curriculum encourages hands-on learning, giving each child the thrill of discovery.
Our experienced team of Early Childhood Educators see their role as an extension of your family, and know the importance of working in partnership with families to see each child’s potential fulfilled.
The College has a Pre-Kindy and Kindy Uniform which compliments the Hillcrest Christian College uniforms. These can be purchased either at the on Campus Uniform shop or online.
Pre-Kindy has very limited places, please enquire as soon as possible.
Kindy is our main entry into the College and is provided priority enrolment into Prep.
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