Gowrie NSW Shirley Road Crows Nest Preschool

Shirley Road Preschool is Gowrie NSW first preschool service, and is a quality, not-for-profit preschool located in Crows Nest Uniting Church on Shirley Road.

Shirley Road Preschool has a long standing history within the Crows Nest community, opening on the 1st February, 1972.  Today, over 40 years later and under the Gowrie NSW umbrella, Shirley Road Preschool is flourishing, with a reputation for excellence.  We cater for over 45 families, their children aged 3 - 5 years.  We believe that every child brings with them unique strengths, capabilities, culture, interests, knowledge, ideas and experiences…

…and that every day is filled with possibility and chances for discovery.

Statewide, our centres pride themselves on the connections we form within the community and the strong relationships we develop with our families and children.

Our dedicated and passionate educators implement a high-quality educational experience in a nurturing, stimulating and supportive environment. Educators engage in regular professional development to ensure best practice for your children.

Our small boutique preschool highlights an indoor area with an outdoor environment featuring natural play equipment, sandpits, climbing structures, water play and more. Your child will engage in a variety of experiences to promote a sense of wonder and investigation.

We keep you involved in their day via a secure online platform, so you can get through your day knowing your child is safe and happy.

We are committed to excellence and strive to make a lasting impact on children’s lives.

Our school readiness program begins from the moment children enter our preschool. Building children’s confidence, a strong sense of self, conflict resolution skills, creativity and collaboration are part of our program from the start.

Your child will have many opportunities to engage with literacy and numeracy. This will also be scaffolded and extended upon. In the final preschool years, we run a dedicated Transition to School Program for children and their families. This program is delivered by Early Childhood Teachers in consultation with local primary schools and will extend children’s social and emotional skills to build sound foundations for primary school.

Children will build their confidence and resilience levels, become accustomed to school routines and lunchboxes, learn how to work in teams, develop independence and much more.

For more information about our Transition to School Program, please enquire with our Centre Manager and Early Childhood Teachers.

All our programs at Shirley Road Preschool are based on children’s strengths, knowledge, interests, concepts, and cultural backgrounds. The National Quality Framework stipulates that learning occurs best through play-based experiences.

We use Storypark to document your child’s discoveries and learnings and this ensures open and clear communication. We document in real time, as it happens, and share photo’s, video, audio and observations with you in a secure online environment.

Families are encouraged to participate in this process to ensure children achieve the best learning outcomes.

It’s just like you’re there with them, every day.

Shirley Road Preschool caters for children aged from 3years to 6 years. There is one classroom. 

• Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: 20 children

• Thursday and Friday: 25 children

Classroom sizes may vary each year according to our waitlist and the needs of our existing families. 

Children's lunch and a drink bottle.

Families are required to bring their child's lunch each day in an insulated lunch box with enough food for their child. We are a nut-free environment and ask families to ensure the food they bring for their child is nutritious and free of nuts to support children with high allergies.

Shirley Road Preschool is funded by the NSW State Government. The NSW State Government is committed to ensuring all children in NSW participate in 600 hours of quality preschool education in the two years before they start school. This equates to 15 hours of preschool each week.

'Free Preschool' is a current initiative under the Start Strong funding with additional funding as part of the Covid-19 pandemic.  This has been extended to all children in the two years before school, until December 2022. For your child to be eligible they must turn 3 or 4 by 31 July in that year, and be enrolled in a preschool program 15 hours per week.

If your child attends more than 2 days of preschool, families will be charged the daily unfunded fee for each additional day.

Call us on (02) 9439 2247 or fill in the form below.