What age is the early years programme for?

The early years programme is for children aged 3 to 5. It covers the pre-foundation stage and the Foundation year, and leads directly into Australian Curriculum Primary Years.

How long are the online classes for young children?

Live classes are kept short and highly interactive, matched to the attention span of a three to five year old, and every session is paired with offline hands-on activity away from the screen.

How is screen time managed for a 3 to 5 year old?

Screen time is managed by design. Live sessions are brief, each one comes with an offline activity pack of cutting, drawing, sorting and movement, and all sessions are recorded so a tired or unwell child never has to keep up in real time.

How does play-based learning actually work online?

Play-based learning online works through storytelling, songs, games, visuals and guided activities led by an early childhood educator, followed by hands-on tasks at home. Children explore and do rather than sit and listen, which is how learning happens at this age.

How many children are in each early years class?

Each early years class runs at a 2:20 ratio, a class teacher plus an assistant educator in every session. At this age a child who is not spoken to stops participating, so the second adult matters.

Do parents have to teach the lessons?

No, parents do not teach. Early childhood educators plan and deliver every session. Parents supervise, join in where they want to, and receive weekly updates, activity ideas and observation notes.

How are children assessed in the early years?

Assessment in the early years is continuous and observation-based, with no formal exams. Teachers record progress across the six learning areas and share termly notes with parents, focusing on development rather than marks.

What does my child learn in the early years programme?

Children learn early language and literacy, early numeracy, social and emotional skills, creativity and expression, physical development, and curiosity about the world, all through play and guided activity rather than worksheets.

What happens after the early years programme?

Children move into Australian Curriculum Primary Years with the same teachers, platform and routine. Records also transfer if a family later chooses the American, Cambridge or CBSE-aligned pathway, or a school outside Sunbeam World School.

Can my child join mid-year?

Yes, your child can join mid-year. Admissions stay open year round, and the team supports mid-year starts with a settling-in period and a placement conversation before classes begin.

Can we try a class before enrolling?

Yes, you can try a class before enrolling. Book a free demo class to watch how an early years session runs and meet the educator before making any payment.

How much does the early years programme cost?

The early years programme fee covers all live classes, learning material, activity packs and assessment. The annual fee is payable in three instalments. Visit the fee structure page for current tuition amounts, instalment breakdowns and available discounts.

Australian Curriculum Early Years - Sunbeam World School

Q: What is the Australian Curriculum Early Years programme?

The Australian Curriculum Early Years programme at Sunbeam World School is an online school stage for children aged 3 to 5, built on the Early Years Learning Framework. It uses play-based, inquiry-led teaching in short live sessions to build early language, early numeracy, social skills and confidence before formal schooling begins.

Global Recognition

An Accredited Online Early Years School, Recognised Worldwide

Sunbeam World School is recognised by leading national and international education bodies. Our early years programme follows the Australian curriculum, so your child begins on a framework used in schools worldwide and moves on with a recognised record of progress.

IAO, International Accreditation Organisation

Cambridge Assessment International Education

NIOS, National Institute of Open Schooling

BOSSE, Board of Open Schooling and Skill Education

Cognia global network member, quality assured school

Australian Curriculum Play-Based Learning Early Childhood Educators

See all Sunbeam World School affiliations & accreditations

At a Glance

Ages, Fees and Class Format at a Glance

Ages	Children aged 3 to 5, covering pre-foundation and the Foundation year
Curriculum	Australian curriculum, built around the Early Years Learning Framework
Approach	Play-based and inquiry-led, with structured live sessions
Class format	Short live classes with early childhood educators, plus recordings on our LMS
Class size	2:20 teacher to child ratio, with an assistant teacher in every session
Screen time	Balanced. Short live sessions paired with offline hands-on activities
What children learn	Early language, early numeracy, social and emotional skills, creativity, physical development
Annual fee	Visit the fee structure page for current tuition and instalment details
Assessment	100% internal and observation-based. No external board tests at any stage of this pathway
Progresses to	Australian Curriculum Primary Years
Admissions	Open year round. Check the eligibility criteria or start the admission process

The Basics

What Is the Australian Curriculum Early Years Programme?

Early years education in the Australian system covers children aged roughly 3 to 5, the stage before formal schooling begins. It is built on the Early Years Learning Framework, which sets out how young children learn through play, relationships and guided discovery rather than through worksheets and testing. At Sunbeam World School, our online early years school delivers that framework in short live sessions with early childhood educators, followed by offline activities parents can do at home. Children build early language, early numeracy, confidence and social skills, and move on into Primary Years ready for structured learning.

What Children Learn

What Your Child Learns in the Early Years

Each area runs through play, activity and conversation rather than formal lessons.

3-5 years

Every day

Early Language & Literacy

Storytelling, phonics, rhymes, picture books and early writing. Children learn to listen, express themselves clearly and recognise letters and sounds before formal reading begins.

3-5 years

Every day

Early Numeracy

Counting, sorting, shapes, patterns and measurement through games and hands-on play. Number sense is built through doing, not drilling.

3-5 years

Woven through

Social & Emotional Skills

Sharing, turn-taking, naming feelings and working in a group. This is the area most parents underestimate and the one that decides how well a child settles into school.

3-5 years

Weekly

Creativity & Expression

Art, music, movement, dramatic play and making things. Children explore ideas and build confidence expressing them.

3-5 years

Weekly

Physical Development

Fine motor skills for pencil grip and scissors, plus gross motor movement, coordination and healthy habits.

3-5 years

Ongoing

Curiosity & The World Around Us

Simple science, nature, seasons, communities and cultures. Early inquiry habits that carry into Primary Years.

How It Works

How Play-Based Learning Works in an Online Classroom

Short Live Classes

Sessions are kept deliberately short and interactive, matched to a three to five year old's attention span. Educators use stories, visuals, songs and games rather than lecture-style teaching.

Offline Activity Packs

Every live session is paired with hands-on work away from the screen: cutting, drawing, sorting, building and outdoor play. Screen time stays balanced by design.

Two Adults in Every Session

A class teacher plus an assistant, at a 2:20 ratio. At this age a child who is not spoken to simply stops participating, so the second adult matters more here than anywhere else in the school.

Parents Kept in the Loop

Weekly updates, activity ideas and observation notes. You are a partner in the learning, not a substitute teacher, and you are never asked to deliver lessons.

Screen Time

How We Keep Screen Time Balanced for Ages 3 to 5

The most common worry parents raise about online early years learning, answered directly.

Short live sessions, not full school days. Live teaching is measured in minutes, not hours, and the rest of the day stays hands-on and offline.

Every session has an offline counterpart. Cutting, sticking, sorting, building and outdoor play are part of the programme, not extras.

Recordings mean no pressure. If your child is unsettled or unwell, the session is there later. Nobody falls behind at this age.

You are not expected to teach. Educators plan and deliver. Parents supervise, join in where they want to, and get weekly guidance.

What Comes Next

A Smooth Path From Early Years Into Primary School

The early years are not a holding pattern before real school. They decide how well a child copes when structured learning begins: whether they can sit with a task, ask for help, work beside other children and hold a pencil properly.

Our programme is built backwards from that. By the end of the Foundation year, children are recognising letters and sounds, counting and comparing with confidence, following a two-step instruction, and working in a group without an adult beside them. They move into Australian Curriculum Primary Years with the same teachers, the same platform and the same routine, so nothing has to be relearned.

Families who later change direction are not locked in. Records transfer to our American, Cambridge and CBSE-aligned pathways, or to a school outside Sunbeam World School.

Explore Primary Years

A young child in a live online early years class at home, gluing a paper flower craft while a teacher leads the session on screen

Who We Serve

Who Our Online Early Years School Is For

Families Living Abroad

NRI and expat families who want a globally recognised early start their child can carry to the next country, without switching systems mid-year.

Parents Who Want a Gentle Start

Children who are not ready for a full physical preschool day, or who settle better in a small familiar group than a room of thirty.

Children Who Learn Differently

Early support matters most at this age. Our special educators work alongside class teachers where a child needs it.

Frequently Relocating Families

Service families, diplomatic postings and parents on transferable jobs, where a stable school is worth more than a local one.

Parents Working Full Time

Three daily batches mean the live session can fit around your working day rather than dictating it.

Families Comparing Curricula

Undecided between Australian, American, Cambridge and CBSE-aligned? Start here and switch later without losing progress.

Beyond the Core

Early Years Activities That Turn Play Into Learning

Every activity is chosen to build one of the six learning areas. All of it is included in the annual fee.

Storytelling Phonics & Rhymes Early Writing Counting & Sorting Shapes & Patterns Art & Craft Music & Movement Dramatic Play Show & Tell Nature & Seasons Yoga for Kids Puppetry

Children needing extra support work with our special educators. Regional and foreign language exposure is available from the earliest stage.

A parent sitting with their young child at home as she threads beads during an early years activity session

Fees

Early Years Tuition, All Inclusive

The annual early years fee on the Australian pathway covers every live session, all digital learning material and activity packs, assessment and progress reporting. There is no separate technology charge and nothing extra to buy. Visit the fee structure page for current tuition, instalment options and available discounts.

All-inclusive annual fee covering every live session, all learning material and activity packs, assessment and reporting
Flexible instalments: the annual fee is payable in three instalments across the academic year, with No-Cost EMI available
No attestation at this stage: attestation charges begin from Grade 1. Early years families pay nothing extra
Discounts available: sibling discount, one-time-payment discount, and refer-and-earn savings

View Full Fee Structure

Real Parents. Real Reviews.

What Parents Say

Reviews from parents of children aged 3 to 5. Read all 2,400+ Google reviews

"My daughter is three and I honestly did not think she would sit through an online class. The sessions are short and she treats the teacher like a friend. She asks every morning whether it is a school day."

Mrs. AnandMother of a 3-year-old, Pune

"We work full time and were worried we would end up teaching. We never have. The educators plan everything, and the activity pack comes ready to use. We just sit with her for twenty minutes."

Mr. KapoorFather of a KG 1 student, Dubai

"What sold us was the offline half. She is on screen for a short session and then doing cutting, sorting and painting away from the laptop. That balance was the thing I could not find anywhere else."

Mrs. SharmaMother of a KG 2 student, Singapore

"Our son finished the Foundation year here and moved into Primary Years with the same teachers. There was no settling-in period, no gap, and he already knew how a classroom works."

Mr. NairFather of a Primary Years student, Melbourne

Australian Curriculum Early Years Online School for Ages 3 to 5

An Accredited Online Early Years School, Recognised Worldwide

Ages, Fees and Class Format at a Glance

What Is the Australian Curriculum Early Years Programme?

What Your Child Learns in the Early Years

Early Language & Literacy

Early Numeracy

Social & Emotional Skills

Creativity & Expression

Physical Development

Curiosity & The World Around Us

How Play-Based Learning Works in an Online Classroom

Short Live Classes

Offline Activity Packs

Two Adults in Every Session

Parents Kept in the Loop

How We Keep Screen Time Balanced for Ages 3 to 5

A Smooth Path From Early Years Into Primary School

Who Our Online Early Years School Is For

Families Living Abroad

Parents Who Want a Gentle Start

Children Who Learn Differently

Frequently Relocating Families

Parents Working Full Time

Families Comparing Curricula

Early Years Activities That Turn Play Into Learning

Early Years Tuition, All Inclusive

What Parents Say

Frequently Asked Questions

Give Your Child a Globally Recognised Start in 2026-27