The Kindy

SIOCS logoScotland Island’s kindy is no longer operational, and the building is now the Recreation Centre. This page provides a brief history of the vibrant history of this treasured island institution.

SIOCS (Scotland Island Off-shore Children’s Services) was established in 2006 when the off-shore community was unexpectedly left without a managed childcare facility. A determined group of parents formed a committee and created a fully accredited long day-care centre where our children can grow, learn and be nurtured.

The Scotland Island Kindy was  a community-run long day-care centre servicing Scotland Island and the West Pittwater off-shore communities.

The Kindy was run by local, trained staff and supported by a committee of parents. An open dialogue between parents, staff and the broader community created a unique community service. It was located in Catherine Park, near the Community Hall, on Scotland Island, not far from Tennis Wharf.

In 2021 a volume of offshore stories, poems and visual work, Water Access Only, was published. It contained a number of accounts of the founding of the kindy and the experiences of the parents and children involved.