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Kindergarten Volunteer Program
The Kindergarten project aims to support children aged 3-6 in southern Sri Lanka, helping them develop key social, emotional, and academic skills for a brighter future. By creating an engaging, hands-on learning environment, the goal is to boost their confidence.
Save 15% on your Sri Lanka program fee For trips starting on or before 31 December 2026. Booking fee not included.
Use code SRILANKA15You are based at a kindergarten in the Unawatuna area near Galle, in southern Sri Lanka, working alongside local teachers with children aged 3 to 6. Day to day you help run classroom activities, support small groups with basic English, and take part in games, singing, dancing, crafts and pre-reading exercises such as matching, sorting and patterning. The role suits volunteers who are patient, energetic and comfortable spending time with young children, with no teaching qualification required (minimum age 16).
You can join for 1–20 weeks, with new starts every week (saturdays) (next start 26 Sep 2026). You live in a volunteer house in Unawatuna, sharing three meals a day with other volunteers, and travel to the project each day in a private air-conditioned van or tuk-tuk. Programs start at $874 (deposit included). One reason to pick this program over other childcare placements: the volunteer houses sit right by Unawatuna Beach, with weekend access to national reserves and surf towns nearby.
- Teach little ones in kindergartens and spread the light of education among them
- Contribute to social change and make a difference in the lives of children
- Gain first-hand work experience and bond with people from different parts of the world
- Learn about the culture, traditions, and festivities of Sri Lanka
- Experience the thrill of wildlife adventure at any of the several national reserves, including, Sinharaja forest reserve, Bundala National park, Minneriya National park, and more
- Explore world-class beaches like Ahangama, Mirissa, and Tangalle and soak in the sun over the weekends
- Meet other volunteers from around the world and stay in a volunteer house near the beach
Your role on this program
- Assist local kindergarten teachers with running daily classroom activities for small groups of children
- Teach basic English through reading, speaking and writing exercises
- Lead educational games, singing and dancing sessions with the children
- Run craft activities and pre-reading exercises such as matching, sorting, seriating, patterning and categorizing
- Plan lessons for around 4-5 hours a week, using the in-house teaching library of manuals, books and materials
- Socialize with the children and provide attentive, patient one-on-one and small-group support
- Work under the guidance of the education coordinator, who accompanies volunteers to the project site
Exact duties vary with the placement's needs, the season and your experience.
Role boundaries
You assist the local kindergarten teachers and are not a substitute for qualified staff; class planning and final teaching decisions stay with the teachers and the education coordinator, who accompanies volunteers to the site. As this is a childcare placement, a clean criminal background check issued within 12 months of your start date is required, and duties may vary with the placement's needs.
A typical day and week
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Saturday: Arrival +House Tour + Initial Training session (as long as the participants come by afternoon or else its done on Sunday).
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Sunday: Neighborhood familiarization tour
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Mon to Fri: Volunteer work
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Breakfast – 06:30 am – 8:30am
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Monday to Friday 8-11.30am (KG)
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Lunch – between 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
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Lesson Planning 1-3 pm
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Teaching program 3-5 pm
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Dinner – 06:30 pm -7:45 pm
Note: The schedule may vary depending on the particular project and local circumstances.
Timings are the placement's usual pattern; the local team confirms your hours at orientation, and they can change with school terms, clinic rotas, weather and the project's needs.
Who can join and what you need
- Minimum age 16
- No teaching qualification or prior classroom experience required
- Clean criminal background check report, issued within 12 months of your start date
- Patient, energetic manner and comfort working with young children in small groups
- Open mind and flexible attitude toward a new working environment
- Fit and healthy at the time of joining the program
- Compulsory travel and medical insurance, own policy or the one Volunteering Solutions arranges
The placement, its limits and your part in it
You are placed in an underfunded local kindergarten in southern Sri Lanka, where teachers are often overworked and under-resourced. The education coordinator organizes your placement, accompanies you to the project site, and guides you in supporting the teachers' existing lesson plans and daily routines.
Class sizes typically run 20-30 children, and you generally work with smaller groups within that. You assist with games, English practice, crafts and pre-reading activities rather than setting curriculum or working unsupervised, and lesson planning is done with support from onsite staff and the teaching library. Your contribution is additional attention and hands-on help within the teacher's existing structure, not a replacement for the kindergarten's own staff.
Our standards
- Responsible volunteer travel policyHow we choose, run and review every project
- Safeguarding policyBackground checks, supervision and our code of conduct with children
- Child & vulnerable adult protectionThe rules every volunteer follows on placement
- Certified B CorporationSocial and environmental performance verified by B Lab
- How we volunteer responsibly in Sri LankaCountry-level partner context and standards
Start dates
Weekly start dates, year-round — pick any week across the next two years.
Program fees by duration
Prices include your $249 booking deposit — which is deducted from your total program fee. Your deposit stays valid for one year, during which you may enroll in multiple programs. A 5% international banking fee applies to credit-card payments in USD or AUD.
| Duration | Total price | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week | $874 | |
| 2 weeks | $1,084 | |
| 3 weeks | $1,244 | |
| 4 weeks | $1,404 | |
| 5 weeks | $1,564 | |
| 6 weeks | $1,724 | |
| 7 weeks | $1,884 | |
| 8 weeks | $2,044 | |
| Each additional week | +$250 / week |
Indicative conversion — your booking is charged in the currency you choose at checkout.
✓ What you're paying for
- 24 hrs Assistance and support from Staff
- Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
- Dedicated volunteer housing with WiFi (shared rooms)
- Shared airport transfer on arrival at designated time windows in the morning or afternoon
- Orientation and training on arrival
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner all days
- Guaranteed project placement
- Local transportation to projects in private AC van or tuk tuk
- Experienced bilingual operations team on the ground
- Dedicated staff support from 6 am to 8 pm every day
- 24/7 local emergency support
- Weekly yoga class on rooftop terrace
- Weekly movie nights on large screen projector
- Monthly bike tour around paddy fields and local villages
- Monthly special BBQ dinner
- Travel & Medical Insurance(Available at an extra cost)
- Certificate of Participation(On Request)
Not included
- Visa Fee
- International Airfare
- Return Airport Transfers from Galle to Colombo Airport (available at extra charges)
- Vaccinations
- Any personal expenses
- Additional Local Excursions and Trips
- Private Room Upgrade charges
- Charges for additional nights at accommodation
Accommodation & meals
Airport Transfers
Volunteers are picked up from the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport Airport by a representative of the local coordinating team on the program start date during scheduled airport pickup hours. Participants are also dropped off to the airport upon completion of the program during the scheduled airport drop hours (At extra charges).Charges for the return airport drop can be paid by the participants when they are in Sri Lanka.
Note : Arrival transfer (shared) within pre-defined time windows on Saturdays included in the program price (non-transferable).There will be 2 shared airport transfers every Saturday (Morning and afternoon/evening) from airport to Galle. A private transfer is also available for USD 100 and can be arranged on Saturday or for participants arriving on any date other than the start date.
Orientation
A detailed program Orientation will be provided before you start your volunteering program.All volunteers on arrival get a welcome presentation including health and safety training, culture presentation, project specific presentation and area orientation tour. Our staff will also assist you with the lessons and planning the curriculum, as and when required. You will also have access to our in-house teaching library consisting of manuals, books, and various teaching materials to help with lesson planning and providing general guidance.
Accommodation
Volunteers joining the programs in Galle, Sri Lanka, will get to stay in the quaint Unawatuna neighborhood, overlooking the famous Unawatuna Beach and the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Our participants stay in two volunteer houses which are located near to each other.
The Beachside house is located right across the road from Unawatuna Beach and about 100 meters from the other volunteer house. It has 12 spacious bedrooms of varying sizes with attached en suite bathrooms each with air-conditioning facilities (most rooms also have attached outdoor balconies). There is also a separate dining area, small garden, lounge, terrace and a large office with permanent staff onsite. The property is safeguarded by multiple CCTV cameras and an onsite night security team.
The other larger volunteer house has 13 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.Most of these rooms have ocean views! There’s a private 40-foot outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical greenery. The house also has 3 kitchens as well as 3 living/common rooms (one each per floor), a prominent dining area, and a private outdoor garden with seating/lounging areas.
The office is located on the ground floor of the house near the main entrance – this is where the local team operate from every day. The house is located in a peaceful, nature-filled neighborhood adjacent to a small Buddhist temple (nestled away from the main tourist areas). To ensure the safety and security of the participants, there are CCTV cameras installed, and an in-house security guard for night-time surveillance. Hot water and high-speed Wi-Fi are there and you can opt for air-conditioning and laundry facilities at an additional charge.
Private (single and double) room upgrades are available at additional charges. During busy months participants are also provided accommodation in nearby guesthouses in case of low capacity in the volunteer houses or non availability of private rooms. Private rooms are provided in guesthouses within walking distance to the volunteer house. Volunteers stay in the private guesthouses and walk over to the volunteer house and have meals with the other volunteers.
All participants aged 40 years and older will be provided with a private room only and will not be provided accommodation in shared dorm rooms . Additional charges for private room upgrade shall be applicable.
Meals
We provide 3 freshly cooked meals per day all week long (Monday to Sunday): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Fresh ingredients are purchased from local markets to prepare these meals. The volunteer homes have cooks from the local community who come daily to cook fresh, homely and tasty local meals for the volunteers. We can cater to a range of special diets including vegan, gluten free, nut free and lactose-intolerant diets. If there are any other allergy or food requirements mentioned to us beforehand, we always do our best to accommodate those needs. Those volunteers staying in private guesthouse rooms near the volunteer house, usually have breakfast at the guest house and walk down to the volunteer house for their lunch and dinner.
Local Transportation
Local transportation to and from the project is included every day.
During Free Time
There is plenty to do during the free time and weekends for the volunteers.The following activities are provided free of charge and included in your program fee:
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Evening Rooftop Yoga Session (weekly)
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Movie nights on large screen projector at the house (weekly)
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Bike tour across paddy fields and local villages (monthly)
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BBQ for volunteers and staff in the garden (monthly)
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Night Fishing for anyone into fishing (on demand)
The following are popular weekend (or even daily) activities which our volunteers love to do around the area (at an additional charge):
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Surfing lessons
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Elephant safari
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Whale watching(during season)
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Rainforest hiking
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Beach hopping
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Local cooking class
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Galle Walking Tour
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Local spice market visit
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Galle Fort visit
We also encourage you to join our specially curated 7D/6N Sri Lanka Culture & Adventure Tour which packs the best of the island’s beauty and diversity within a week.The tour can be added to your program itinerary before or after the volunteer program.
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Life on the program
Getting there and who looks after you in Sri Lanka
Airport pickup
A shared transfer is included from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) to Galle on Saturdays, in morning or afternoon/evening windows. Private transfers are available for USD 100 if you arrive outside those windows or on a different date.
Arrival and house tour
On Saturday you get a house tour and an initial training session if you arrive by afternoon; if you arrive later, this is completed on Sunday.
Orientation
You receive a welcome presentation covering health and safety, a culture presentation, and a project-specific briefing, plus an area orientation tour before you start.
Neighborhood familiarization
On Sunday you take a neighborhood familiarization tour around the Unawatuna area before the project begins on Monday.
First project day and ongoing support
Volunteer work starts Monday, with local transportation to the project provided daily and a bilingual operations team on site, plus 24-hour local emergency support throughout your stay.
From volunteers in Sri Lanka
Frequently asked questions
What do kindergarten volunteers actually do?
You assist local teachers with daily classroom activities for children aged 3-6, including basic English practice, games, singing, dancing, crafts and pre-reading exercises such as matching and sorting, plus a few hours of lesson planning each week.
Do I need teaching experience or qualifications?
No teaching qualification or prior classroom experience is required; you do need to be patient, energetic and comfortable working with young children, and at least 16 years old.
What does a typical day look like?
Kindergarten sessions run Monday to Friday, 8am-11.30am, followed by lesson planning from 1-3pm and a teaching program session from 3-5pm; the schedule can vary with the specific placement and local circumstances.
How long can I volunteer for, and when can I start?
Placements run 1–20 weeks, with new starts every week (saturdays); the next start date is 26 Sep 2026.
What does the program cost, and what is included?
Programs start at $874, deposit included; the fee covers accommodation, all meals, local transport to the project, orientation, staff support and the shared Saturday airport transfer. The $249 deposit counts toward your total, is valid for a year, and is refunded if no placement can be offered.
Where do I live and what do I eat?
You stay in a volunteer house in the Unawatuna neighborhood near the beach, in shared rooms with attached bathrooms; three meals a day are provided at the house, including Sri Lankan rice and curry, hoppers, fresh fruit and some Western dishes, with vegetarian options always available.
How does airport pickup work?
A shared transfer from Colombo airport to Galle is included on Saturdays in set morning or afternoon/evening windows; if you arrive outside those windows or on another day, a private transfer can be arranged for USD 100.
What support is available once I am there?
A permanent bilingual operations team is based in an office inside the volunteer house, an education coordinator accompanies you to the project, and a 24-hour local emergency contact is available throughout your stay.
Do I need a visa, vaccinations or insurance?
Travel and medical insurance is compulsory, either your own policy or the one Volunteering Solutions arranges; visa and vaccination requirements are not covered by the program fee, and detailed guidance is sent to you before departure.
Is a background check required for this program?
Yes, because this is a childcare placement, you need a clean criminal background check report issued within 12 months of your start date.
Who is this program a good fit for?
It suits volunteers aged 16 and up who are energetic, patient and enjoy spending time with young children, and who are comfortable assisting rather than leading a classroom.
Can I change my dates or destination after booking?
Yes, you can change your program, dates or destination free of charge up to 45 days before your start date.
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