Between April and June 2026, the department hosted community events to raise awareness about more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder and priority access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
At the 15 community events, families could ask questions about kinder eligibility, enrolment and the benefits of early childhood education. This opportunity supported localised marketing efforts by services and providers who could then help families with specific information on the programs their services offer.
From 2026, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children across Victoria are eligible for up to 25 hours of funded 4-Year-Old Kinder each week. Activations were held in Swan Hill, Melton, Frankston, Portland and at The Long Walk in Melbourne, enabling direct engagement with Koorie families and communities.
The events also helped raise awareness of additional 4-Year-Old Kinder hours in 12 local government areas (LGAs) set to receive up to 20 hours of funded 4-Year-Old Kinder from 2027. The additional roll out LGAs for 2027 are:
- Alpine Shire
- Central Goldfields Shire
- Colac-Otway Shire
- Glenelg Shire
- Indigo Shire
- Moira Shire
- Moorabool Shire
- Moyne Shire
- South Gippsland Shire
- Southern Grampians Shire
- Swan Hill Rural City
- West Wimmera Shire.
More hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder gives children more time to play, learn and build the skills supporting lifelong learning, wellbeing and development.
Free Kinder includes 3-Year-Old Kinder and 4-Year-Old Kinder programs, with hours increasing in stages across Victoria as part of the Best Start, Best Life reforms.
Find out more
To learn more about Free Kinder, visit the Free kinder shapes young lives webpage.
Updated