Committee Frequently Asked Questions

It’s difficult to articulate exactly what it is that makes OCK so special. However, everyone agrees it is summed up by the loving and supportive feeling of the entire kinder team. Many of OCK’s staff have been working at the kinder for more than 10 years and even sent their own children - now in their teens and 20s - to OCK during their kinder years.

OCK is a not for profit kinder. 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.

OCK is run by families, for families, which is why it has remained so successful and loved by the community over the past forty years. Each year, OCK welcomes new members on to the committee so this legacy can continue for many generations to come.

OCK provides 3 and 4 year old kinder programs, not daycare for younger children. This means there are some key differences between OCK and kinder programs provided by long daycares, for example:

• OCK has set start and finish times each day, which helps to establish a clear routine as children generally arrive and leave around the same time each day. This also builds friendships between parents and caregivers who often see each other during drop off and pick up times. Of course, start and finish teams can be flexible depending on children’s needs.

• The same children attend their group each day, which may differ from some long daycare kinder programs where some children may attend on some days but not others. 

• Children are not in groups or rooms with babies or toddlers.

OCK is one of three remaining independent community-run kinders in Glen Eira. This means that OCK is able to make decisions regarding the running of the kinder themselves to best suit the children attending at any one time, in areas such as the kinder program, budgeting, staffing, policies and incursions.

Glen Education is a central body that run some administrative areas on behalf of the kinders they manage. Including staffing, policies, procedures, finances, payroll etc

The OCK committee is run by a team of parents and teachers who come together monthly (usually online) to discuss various topics and make decisions about the kinder. This may include budgets, staff and program updates, orientation processes, events and fundraising. The committee may also assist with the running of events and occasional administrative tasks. 

It is extremely rewarding being a member of the committee for many reasons, including:

• Getting a ‘behind the scenes’ insight into the kinder and the opportunity to provide input into key kinder decisions.

• Building relationships with other parents and caregivers – some of which you might know for many years to come through the school years.

• The ability to use your professional and personal skills in a community environment.

The OCK committee is generally made up of parents of children attending kinder. Teachers and Operations Manager attend meetings, although they are not committee members. However, some local community members may also join and must be vetted and have the relevant child protection qualifications.  If you know anybody in the local community who may be interested in joining the committee, please contact the operations manager.

OCK need an active committee in order to provide kinder services, as determined by our constitution. A minimum of 5 people need to be on the committee to proceed. Generally, OCK like to have around 10 committee members each year, representing a range of skills and experiences and to provide coverage for people who may be away at any stage.

You can commit as much or as little time to the OCK committee as you like. Monthly meetings go for around an hour, usually online. There are some roles, such as the executive roles, that might have some additional work throughout the month. Assistance with events is also on an ad hoc basis depending on your availability and generally a call is put out to the whole kinder community for volunteers to help with events, not just committee members.