The 5 Best Kindergartens in Adelaide

Adelaide Miethke Kindergarten has one of the best designed outdoor play spaces we’ve seen in the area. Designed by architects from JPE Design Studio, it’s highly entertaining for children because of its vibrant and energetic construction. 

They make great use of this space by having many activities done outdoors. It’s great for improving children’s physical health and allowing them to expend their energy properly.

In terms of curriculum, we saw that Adelaide Miethke has great variation in activities. Their lessons are great for improving motor skills, creativity, emotional intelligence, and socialization. 

They have a successful collaboration with the Paint the Westside REaD project, as we saw from its attendance rates. 

In this project, a mascot visits kindergartens monthly to teach children basic literary and music skills in a lively classroom setting. They also regularly release learning aids through their social media outlets to help parents guide their children about the lessons.

We also appreciate that the kindergarten has a high score on the Education and Early Childhood Services quality rating, as scored by the Registration and Standards Board of South Australia.

This, along with their solid education curriculum, makes them a great choice among kindergartens in Adelaide. 

That said, there are a couple of downsides to take note of. 

First, they’ve received some complaints about unprofessionalism when it comes to communicating with parents. 

Aside from this, there’s a high demand for the kindergarten. Their slots are always full, which is why it’s best to contact them early.

Agnes Goode Kindergarten’s greatest strength lies in the excellent rating they have from the National Quality Standard. They have a score of “Exceeding NQS” for all categories, which goes to show that their performance is outstanding. 

We especially felt it with the professionalism of the staff upon the first meeting with parents. They are thorough in explaining school rules, schedules, and enrollment procedures. 

In addition, they’ve received praise from parents for being good at providing individualized feedback for every child. This is great, especially for parents of children with disabilities. 

The kindergarten has one of the best locations in Adelaide because it’s close to many public transportation stops. The ambiance in the area is lively and safe too. 

Plus, their curriculum follows South Australia’s GreatStart and Positive Parenting. Both are backed up by research to be good at improving various skills in an effective manner. 

We’re just a little iffy about the small space of their playground, especially when compared to other kindergartens in Adelaide. 

Aside from this, we found their attendance rates to be inconsistent for consecutive terms. While not much of an issue, this should be taken into consideration by parents.

Cumberland Preschool Kindergarten balances play and learning well. Their activities are well-thought-out and highly engaging for their students. 

One of the best applications of their learning philosophy is in their outdoor play space, which has toys for cubby building, composting, binocular observations, sand play, and more. These are well-maintained and safe to use.

They’re not afraid to get kids sweaty and playful, but they’re also great at ensuring that they remain clean and ready for lectures when the time comes for this. This is a good sign of their skill in managing children.

In relation to this, a strength of the kindergarten is their great coordination for excursions to spots like Adelaide Zoo, Warriparinga Wetlands, and Kuitpo Forest. 

It’s integrated well into the curriculum, as we’ve seen from its strategic placements during key months. 

We also think that they have one of the best-made information handouts for parents. It’s comprehensive in content and easy to read. 

However, from what we’ve seen, one downside of the preschool is that they have limited staffing. They only have one full-time director and teacher, with occasional volunteers for multilingual children. 

Aside from this, the overall space of the kindergarten is small compared to others in Adelaide. However, they make up for this by filling every space with tools for playing and learning. 

Halifax Street Children’s Centre & Preschool has had more than 100 years of providing early education in Adelaide. This makes them one of the most established preschools in the city. 

It comes as no surprise given the intensive preparation they put into their programs. They have a unique Room 1–3 system that is based on the Reggio Emilia Approach. 

The latter is an Italian educational philosophy that promotes the child’s independence and capabilities to aid them in their learning. 

We also like their Food Project where students are taught the process of growing and cooking food. It teaches socialization with the community and teamwork for children in an engaging way. 

Notably, Halifax’s teachers are all bachelor’s degree holders and are full-time educators. They have many years of experience and are well-trained in the kindergartens’ learning philosophy. 

That said, one of the things we didn’t like about them is that their enrollment and childcare fees are some of the highest in Adelaide. 

Aside from this, there’s a high demand for enrollment in the kindergarten. It’s easily fully booked, so be sure to enroll your child early. 

Modbury Kindergarten’s strength is their well-designed indoor and outdoor spaces. This makes learning more conducive for their students. 

Our favorite spots include the common rooms, playground, and classrooms. They have an eye-pleasing motif that makes the spaces cozy and comfortable to stay in for a long time. 

We like how they have up to 5 educators regularly available, which helps in giving each child more individualized care. 

Their curriculum, especially the Book Making project, is great for enhancing literacy skills. This innovative project was well-received by many parents and children, and the outputs they’ve created speak lengths about its effectiveness.

In addition, the kindergarten did great with improving confidence and self-regulation skills through the Sparkling Moments project. Here, parents were involved in creating individualized learning plans that taught confidence to children. 

We also appreciate that the kindergarten has one of the highest attendance rates in Adelaide. This is a great sign of the success of their educators.

One thing parents should take note of, though, is that they take some time to respond to parents communicating with them through their social media channels. This can be inconvenient for those making initial inquiries.

Aside from this, there’s a high demand for enrollment in the kindergarten. It’s best to enroll early if you want to secure a slot here.