Community Kinder
“we’re part of the community – not just a kinder”
A community kinder, like OCK, is more than just a kindergarten. First created as a meeting place for children to laugh, learn and engage with their community, OCK has grown into a professional high quality early childhood educational kinder program, with community values at the heart.
OCK is overseen by a “Committee of Management” made up of our families (a bit like a board of management). The committee at Ormond Community Kindergarten jointly oversee the activities of the organisation and their responsibilities, duties and powers are defined in the "OCK Constitution".
Each year, at the February AGM, parents nominate for a role. Meeting each month, the Committee ensure that OCK’s decisions, actions and activities are appropriate and meet the needs of our changing community. Typical duties of a committee include:
governing the organisation by establishing broad policies and objectives
ensuring the availability of adequate financial resources
approving annual budgets and monitoring financial performance against agreed budgets
accounting to the stakeholders, funders and regulators for the organisation’s performance.
Raising funds and organising social events
Each committee member brings with them a unique skill set and by volunteering their time, they represent the parent and community sentiment. Equally important and appreciated is the active and enthusiastic support from our wider parent community. They organise and contribute to many successful kinder activities throughout the kinder year.
The committee and educators work together to deliver a high-quality early childhood educational experience for everyone, in line with relevant legislation.
How is it different to a kinder run by a company?
• We tailor our programs to the needs of our families
• We put our community at the centre of all our decisions
• We do not operate to make a profit, we aim to cover the costs of a quality program
• We do not have “corporate head offices” providing us with support and structures
Ormond Community Kindergarten is a not-for-profit incorporated association. This means we operate to break even and any profits that are made are put back into the kinder and not shared amongst boards, shareholders or management.
Why Volunteer to be on the Committee?
Why would you choose to volunteer?
• It’s a lot of fun!
• help you make friends within your community
• help you feel part of our local community
• help you feel better about yourself by improving your confidence and gives you a purpose outside of work and home
• help you share your talents, learn new skills and create a better work-life balance