An updated Priority of Access (PoA) policy will apply for children in kinder in the 2028 year. There are no changes to enrolments for the 2027 kindergarten year.
PoA supports the Central Registration and Enrolment Schemes (CRES), and service providers, to make enrolment decisions when demand exceeds places available.
It ensures children who might face barriers to kindergarten participation can access the kindergarten programs that best meet their needs.
Changes to how kindergarten places are prioritised
There is no change to the groups of children eligible for PoA.
The updated policy will maintain the highest priority in allocating kinder places for children facing the greatest barriers to accessing kindergarten.
It will also provide greater consideration for children continuing from 3-Year-Old to 4-Year-Old Kinder at the same service.
What is changing
A new 3-tier approach will change how children are prioritised when demand exceeds available places.
- Tier 1 – Highest priority: Children facing the greatest barriers to accessing kindergarten will continue to receive the highest priority.
- Tier 2 – Continuity of enrolment: Children already attending 3-Year-Old Kinder who wish to continue to 4-Year-Old Kinder at the same service.
- Tier 3 – Additional priority: Children or families holding concession cards, children from multiple births (triplets or more), and children whose parents or carers have additional needs.
How prioritisation will work
When there are more applications than available kinder places, the tiers will be applied in order:
- Tier 1 children are prioritised first
- Tier 2 children are prioritised once all Tier 1 children have been offered places. If there are not enough places for all Tier 2 children, those who meet both Tier 2 and Tier 3 criteria should be prioritised
- Tier 3 children are prioritised after all Tier 1 and Tier 2 children have been offered places.
Once these priorities have been applied, and criteria for services in rollout local government areas offering more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder (Pre-Prep), where relevant, have been applied, services and CRES providers may use locally agreed criteria to allocate remaining places.
For more information, visit: Priority of Access 2028.
Concession card holders
From 2028, children who hold a Commonwealth concession card, or whose parent or legal guardian holds one, may be eligible for:
- more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder
- Tier 3 PoA when demand for places exceeds availability.
Eligible cards include Commonwealth Health Care Cards, Pensioner Concession Cards and Veterans’ Affairs Cards.
Concession card validity
The validity requirements differ depending on the policy:
- More hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder: The concession card must be valid at any time from 1 January in the year before the child attends 4-Year-Old Kinder.
- Priority of Access – Tier 3: Service and CRES providers can determine the period during which a concession card must be valid to establish eligibility. This includes in aligning with the eligibility period for more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder. Eligibility can be checked at one or more points before places are allocated, regardless of when the card was valid.
For more information and guidance to support implementation of these updates, refer to:
Resources will be available in Term 1, 2027 to support families to understand the updated Priority of Access policy.
Find out more
For further information and support, contact your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch.
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