The Brimbank City Council local government area (LGA) is one of the most diverse in Victoria. Almost half of the people living there were born overseas and more than 55 per cent speak a language other than English at home, with more than 160 languages spoken.
In February 2025, the council received a Central Registration and Enrolment Scheme (CRES) grant. The grant helps councils support families likely to face barriers to kindergarten enrolment.
The council used the grant to redesign how they connect with families. Instead of standalone activities, they took a joint approach. They used data, community sessions and partnerships to improve access and prepare families for the Best Start, Best Life reforms.
Targeted support
Engagement with families whose children were eligible for more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder (Pre-Prep) in 2026 was a top priority. The council made direct contact with families to ensure they were aware of their entitlements and how to enrol.
They also worked with local kindergarten service providers to run 2 drop-in enrolment support sessions. These provided one-on-one support to families to complete enrolments.
To help strengthen early years partnerships between services in the area, the council ran an equitable enrolment workshop. Representatives from all 36 kindergartens across the LGA took part. Services shared information, discussed challenges and planned how to best support families.
The grant also meant the council could reinstate their Long Day Care Managers Forum. This gave managers at funded integrated kindergarten programs a chance to connect and share ideas.
Increased confidence for families
Rakhi Khanna, the council’s Early Years Programs, Planning and Partnerships Coordinator, said the grant was a great success.
‘The grant enabled Brimbank to go beyond the business as usual of CRES,’ Rakhi said.
‘We could proactively plan, implement and deliver initiatives that directly supported families. It also allowed us to strengthen partnerships with early years services.’
Rakhi said community feedback was positive.
‘It led to reduced confusion and increased confidence for families. The approach has influenced several services to independently offer enrolment support sessions at their kindergartens’.
Find out more
For more information on the Central Registration Enrolment Scheme, refer to Kindergarten Central Registration and Enrolment.
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