Welcome to Yelangi Preschool and Kindergarten. Yelangi means 'Meeting Place' and was named by Pastol Don Brandy after his descendents tribal/language group Kokojelandji from the Palmer River in North Queensland. We hope your stay with us will be spiritually uplifting, enjoyable and memorable.

In 2005 the Yelangi Management Committee opened a Kindergarten Unit to the Local community as the local community consists largely of children from a multicultural background. Yelangi, has become an indigenous and a multicultural Early Childhood Education Center.

Yelangi means ‘meeting place’ and was named by Pastor Don Brady after his descendents tribal/language group Kokojelandji from the Palmer River in North Queensland. From 1997, Yelangi was a double unit pre-school and kindergarten centre for children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent established in 1977. The majority of children, staff and parents attending Yelangi were either descendants of the Waka Waka people from Cherbourg; Nunukel from Stradbroke Island or the Mununjali from the Beaudesert area. From 1980 to 1992 the centre was administered by One People of Australia League. In 1992 Yelangi became affiliated with the Crèche & Kindergarten Association. In 2005 due to changes in funding, the Yelangi Management Committee opened a Kindergarten Unit to the local community as the local community consists largely of children from a multicultural background. Yelangi has become an indigenous and a multicultural Early Childhood Education Centre.

Yelangi is a non profit, community based, community controlled, Indigenous Organisation. It is registered as public company limited by guarantee. Yelangi is an Endorsed Income Tax Exempt Charity Entity. This means that donations made to Yelangi is Tax deductible. Yelangi is ultimately controlled by its members. Yelangi’s members are members of the Indigenous Community. An annual General Meeting elects a Board of Directors. The Board of Directors appoints the administrator and other essential staff members.

Yelangi’s objectives are based on providing an opportunity to Indigenous and disadvantaged children to access essential educational resources and services. In another words giving our children a fair go.

Unlike other preschool and Kindergartens Yelangi not only concentrates its development on educational and early childhood development but also parental support and development. Yelangi’s services start,

1. Collecting Children from their homes and transporting them to school.
2. Making sure that they have enough food to eat. If they don’t have or enough or adequate food, then Yelangi provides them appropriate nutritious food for morning tea and lunch.
3. Provide specialist health consultants to assess and monitor the children health. These include a Health workers, dentists, child health specialists.
4. Provide children welfare and community workers to monitor the children family welfare and social environment. Importantly monitor and assess child abuse situations.
5. Making sure the children are appropriately clothed and washed.
6. Providing culturally relevant educational resources and programs.
7. Providing an Indigenous elder, Aunty Honor, to assist the children in understanding cultural issues and to provide further parental and guidance support.
8. Provide gifts and other appropriate measures to children during Christmas and other significant celebrations.
9. Provide the appropriate educational and recreational resources to supplement the children developments.

Yelangi provides other relevant and important services to children. Yelangi recognizes the need to reinforce and create an awareness of Indigenous cultural heritage and protocols to children, with the hope that this will instill in them a sense of identity and appreciation. In turn this practice is aimed at building confidence and pride. Additionally Yelangi curriculum involves participating at community events, where the children learn to perform and participate in cultural and community events, in particular demonstrating their culture through performing arts.

Although Yelangi is a specialist for Indigenous children, there is a large population of non indigenous children attending Yelangi. These children represent the broader community and come from multi cultural backgrounds. Yelangi also instill in these children an awareness of Australian and indigenous cultures and regularly involves these children with Indigenous cultural practices and activities. Through these activities Yelangi promotes reconciliation and respect of all Australian cultures and identities.

Yelangi is managed by a Board of Management includes a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The Board oversees policy and procedural matters. The Director, and the Elder reports to the Board at each meeting, making recommendations based on their knowledge of early childhood education and communities. The Director is responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of the centre.

Yelangi receives support through minimal funding from varies Government bodies and Community Based Organizations. Current funding received by Yelangi is based on providing essential staff members in particular teaching staff’s. Funding for support staff which is an essential factor in providing assistance and support to teachers and parents are not committed by any funding body in particular. In kind support is also received by Yelangi to provide transportation for the children.

Yelangi currently receives funding from Department of Education & the Arts; Queensland Health; Department of Communities; Brisbane City Council; Federal Department of Education, Science and Training, Office of Indigenous Policy Co ordination and First Contact Aboriginal Corporation & Brisbane Council of Elders.

The funding received are minimal and does not cover the support services and resources associated with the operations and support services offered by Yelangi.

Yelangi regularly organises fund raising events through raffles and other minimal events