Victoria government logo

Communicating about kindergarten to your community

Resources for services and providers to communicate with families about kindergarten and its benefits.

On this page:

This page includes resources you can use in your communications with your community and families at your service.

The information and digital materials below can be shared across your social media, websites, newsletters and online platforms to promote your kindergarten programs and attract enrolments.

You can also order printed materials from the Victorian Kindergarten Resources PortalExternal Link .

Free Kinder is here

In an Australian first, children across Victoria can now access two years of Free Kinder before school at participating services. Free Kinder means a saving of up to $2,500 per child each year, for Victorian families.

Families will not need to make a claim, as participating services will receive funding directly from the Victorian Government.

Sessional kindergartens

Free Kinder means that families with children enrolled in sessional kindergarten programs at participating services will receive a free program.

  • Families with children enrolled in sessional kindergarten programs receive a free program.
  • For three-year-old children, this means a free kindergarten program of between 5 and 15 hours each week (200-600 hours each year).
  • For four-year-olds, this means a free kindergarten program of 15 hours each week (600 hours each year).

Long day care centres

  • Families with three- and four-year-old children enrolled in participating long day care services will receive a fee offset of up to $2,000 per child.
  • This mean a saving of $2,000 for children enrolled in a 15-hour kindergarten program (600 hours a year).
  • Children enrolled in a Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program of less than 15 hours will receive a pro-rata amount.

Because of the Free Kinder initiative, you may find families engaging in early childhood learning for the first time.

You may wish to use the resources below to help you communicate about Free Kinder.

Additional resources for long day care centres

Additional resources are available for long day care services to promote the availability of Free Kinder and explain how the subsidy will be applied to invoicing, including the communications pack: Communications resources to help you talk to families about Free KinderExternal Link .

Fact sheets and calculator

Social media tiles, email banners and posters

Promoting enrolments for 2024

Use the resources below to encourage parents and carers in your community to enrol in funded kindergarten programs for 2024. Services are encouraged to continue explaining the benefits of children attending two years of teacher-led, play-based learning before school, starting with Three-Year‑Old Kindergarten.

The communications resource kit includes sample text for your social media and newsletters, and key points about Free Kinder, flexible hours, and the benefits of two years of funded kindergarten. It may be helpful when answering questions from families.

Communications resources to promote your 2024 programs

You can also share the infographics and fact sheets in your enrolment communications.

Infographics and fact sheets

Three-Year-Old Kindergarten

If your service still has enrolments available for your 2023 Three-Year-Old Kindergarten programs, you can use the resources below to let your community know.

Kinder Kits

To celebrate the continued successful roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten, all eligible children enrolled in a Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program in 2023 will receive a free Kinder Kit.

Services have received their 2023 Kinder Kits. For any questions about additional orders, contact kinder.kits.@education.vic.gov.au.

To help families get the most out of their Kinder Kits, you can find videos and other resources, including a Guide for Families and translated materials, at kinder.vic.gov.au/kinderkitsExternal Link .

Encourage families at your service to keep playing with the books and toys at home. There are lots of tips and ideas in the GuideExternal Link to help parents guide their child’s early learning and development.

Kit orders are linked to KIMS enrolment data and can only be distributed to eligible children.

Pre-Prep

Four-Year-Old Kindergarten will transition to Pre-PrepExternal Link in stages from 2025. As Pre-Prep gradually rolls-out over the next decade, children will receive 16 to 30 hours per week of high quality, teacher-led play-based learning in the year before school. By 2032, children across the state will have access to 30 hours of Pre-Prep.

Pre-Prep will be rolled out across Victoria in stages, with children experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage prioritised for earlier access, no matter where they live. Aboriginal children will also be prioritised for earlier access.

Kinder Tick

The Kinder Tick helps Victorian families find a government-approved kindergarten program for their children.

The Kinder Tick means:

  • the program will be led by a qualified teacher
  • children will benefit from play-based learning
  • the kindergarten program is funded and approved by the Victorian Government
  • the program complies with government guidelines and the National Quality Framework.

Order Kinder Tick materials,External Link including signage for your service or download the logo and information resourcesExternal Link .

Early Start Kindergarten

Early Start KindergartenExternal Link (ESK) continues to be available for eligible children, providing 15 hours of kindergarten each week for two years before school.

Eligible children should be specifically enrolled in ESK, even where Free Kinder or 15 hours per week of funded three-year-old kindergarten is offered.

Enrolling children through ESK ensures they have priority of access, and services can receive additional funding and support. For instance:

  • the number of ESK enrolments at your service contributes to how much School Readiness Funding (SRF) your service receives
  • sessional kindergartens and long day care services will receive a full year’s funding allocation (for hours enrolled) when ESK applications are approved – this is regardless of when a child starts or leaves the service. This supports your planning around the child’s access and inclusion into the kindergarten program
  • long day care services will receive at least $500 in extra funding for supporting an ESK enrolment.

To be eligible for ESK, children must be three by 30 April in the year they start kindergarten, and either:

  • be from a refugee or asylum seeker background
  • identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
  • be from a family that has had contact with child protection.

Services are encouraged to discuss eligibility for ESK with families and referrers directly, in addition to the information provided through enrolment processes.

Koorie Kids Shine

Koorie Kids ShineExternal Link promotes the value of kindergarten to Aboriginal families and the community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged three and four can access 15 hours of free kindergarten each week through Early Start Kindergarten.

Use these Koorie Kids ShineExternal Link materials to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to learn more about the benefits of kindergarten, including how services create culturally safe places for Koorie children and families, and how to engage in Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.

To order Koorie Kids Shine print material free of charge, sign up and log in to the Victorian Kindergarten Resources websiteExternal Link , and select the Additional supports and programs option. Anyone can view and order Koorie Kids Shine print material.

Download and print your posters, brochures and postcards:

Download the Communications kit (DOCX, 2.4MB)External Link , which has info you can use on social media and in a newsletter.

Social media tiles for use on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram:

Social media tiles

Translated materials

Some families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds may experience barriers accessing early childhood education, including language barriers.

Use the new translations webpageExternal Link to assist your engagement with CALD families. Translated information is available in 30 languages explaining what early childhood education is and its benefits. There is also information about support for access and participation.

Please share the link vic.gov.au/kinder/translationsExternal Link with your staff and families.

You can order printed translated resources from the Victorian Kindergarten Resources PortalExternal Link in 30 different languages. You can also download materials from the portal for digital use (for example, to send by email).

You can find further resources to communicate with cultural and linguistically diverse (CALD) families about kindergarten and its benefits on the Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergartenExternal Link webpage.

Social media tiles are available from the portal or below.

Translated social media tiles

Arabic

Assyrian

Bengali

Burmese

Chinese (Simplified)

Chinese (Traditional)

Dari

Dinka

English

Farsi

Greek

Gujarati

Hakha Chin

Hazaragi

Hindi

Indonesian

Italian

Karen

Khmer

Korean

Nepali

Oromo

Punjabi

Sinhalese

Somali

Spanish

Swahili

Tamil

Telugu

Thai

Turkish

Urdu

Vietnamese

Reviewed 29 May 2023

Education

Was this page helpful?