If you’ve taken on the treasurer role at a kindergarten or preschool, there’s a good chance you’re doing it alongside a full-time job and a full life.
Most treasurers aren’t accountants. Financial acumen matters, but you shouldn’t need an accounting degree to do this job well. What you need is a clear sense of your responsibilities and a monthly process that keeps the service safe and the committee well-informed.
The treasurer’s role in 6 buckets
1. Make sure there’s enough cash
This is the most practical question in any service.
Can you pay staff, suppliers and key obligations on time? Are you building cash reserves, or chewing through them?
2. Protect the service’s assets
This is about preventing mistakes and reducing risk.
Clear approvals, safe access to bank accounts and finance systems, and consistent controls that stop small problems from becoming big ones.
3. Monitor and approve spending
Your job is to watch patterns rather than overthink every purchase.
Are you spending in line with budget and priorities? Are there unusual spikes that need an explanation? Are major purchases being handled properly?
4. Make sure compliance obligations are met
This usually covers BAS and IAS cycles, payroll obligations including super, audit and AGM reporting, and any required filings for the service.
You may not personally prepare these. But you make sure they’re done, on time, and supported by clean records.
5. Make sure financial records are properly kept
Good reporting depends on good records. When records are behind or messy, committees end up making decisions based on guesswork.
That means reconciliations are done, supporting documentation exists, coding is consistent and reports are reliable.
6. Oversee a finance function that gives the committee real insight
You are not just supposed to present numbers. Your job is to help the committee understand performance, risk, what’s changing and what needs attention next.
What this looks like across the year
When you first start (weeks 1 and 2)
Get oriented before you try to improve anything.
Get access to the bank and finance systems. Work out who does what – the director, the admin or accounts person, the external accountant or bookkeeper and your own role within that. Read the last two sets of committee minutes and report packs. Confirm the monthly reporting timeline and who owns each step.
Weekly
Depending on how the service is set up, this might mean approving payments, checking sign-offs, spotting anything unusual or keeping an eye on cash movement.
Monthly
This is where most treasurers add the most value.
Review for accuracy. Review for performance and risk. Add some concise commentary. Get the pack out early enough to actually be read. Present the key points and flag any decisions that need to be made.
Quarterly
Usually includes the BAS review and approval.
Annually
Budget process. Audit coordination. AGM financial presentation. Annual reporting obligations.
The challenges most treasurers are trying to solve
Most treasurers put in a lot of effort but may lack structure.
The common issues: unclear division of responsibilities, reports that are too detailed or hard to read, no consistent month-end rhythm, and a nagging sense of personal responsibility for things you don’t actually control.
A good monthly process fixes most of this.
The simplest mindset shift
You’re not expected to have all the answers.
You’re expected to run a process that helps the service find the right answers. At the right time, with the right people involved.
Want to go deeper?
We recently ran a webinar on the month-end process for kindergarten and preschool treasurers, walking through how to build a reliable rhythm and actually get value out of your monthly reports.
The recording is available, along with everything we shared with participants:
- Annual reconciliation workbook
- Business day calendar
- Sample report pack you can adapt for your own service
- Month-end checklist
