How to choose a kindergarten

Choosing a kindergarten that’s right for your family is important. There are steps you can take to gather information and help you make the decision, including:

Find a kindergarten near you
Contact your preferred kindergarten service or local council to learn more
Attend a tour or service open day
View the service’s website to learn more about what they offer
Ask your childcare service if they offer a kindergarten program
Understand the quality of your preferred kindergarten service
Consider what’s important to you
Look for the Kinder Tick

Find a kinder

Use the interactive map to help you Find a kinder program that has been approved by the Victorian Government in locations convenient to you.

By using this website you can see the address and contact details of a service, as well as whether it is a standalone (sessional) or a long day care service. Learn more about kinder settings using the Quick guide for parents.

Visit the service

The environment should be welcoming, safe, and inclusive, and should support individual children's learning and wellbeing.
You should see the teacher and other educators working confidently with the children and enjoying their company.
You may like to observe or ask about:
- the educator to child ratios
- use of approved learning frameworks for educational programs, including Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF)
- educator skills and qualifications.
The kindergarten should have information about their operations, policies and procedures on display. You can also ask them for a copy.
These policies should be child- and family-focused. They should also be sensitive to each family's cultural and social background, lifestyle and child-rearing practices.
The available information must include:
- the name and position of the responsible person in charge of the service at any given time
- each nominated supervisor of the service
- the name of the educational leader at the service
- the contact details of the Regulatory Authority
- if applicable—
  (i) a notice stating that a child who has been diagnosed as at risk of anaphylaxis is enrolled at the service; and
  (ii) a notice stating that there has been an occurrence of an infectious disease at the service premises.
- their provider approval and service approval certificates and any conditions on the provider or service approval
- the hours and days of operation of the service
- the current rating levels for each quality area stated in the National Quality Standard (NQS); and the overall rating of the service
- any waivers from regulatory requirements held by the service
- the name and telephone number of the person at the education and care service to whom complaints may be addressed.
The available information may include:
- the educational program and activities
- the fees charged.
To help decide if a kindergarten is suitable, ask these questions:
- May I view your service’s policies and procedures?
- What is the service’s quality rating?
- Are places available for the days and hours I need?
- Does the kindergarten operate throughout the year or only during certain times, like school terms?
- Tell me about your educational program and teaching approach?
- Do you offer a funded kindergarten program?
- What are the fees?
- Are there any other costs on top of the fees?
- Is there a fee to be placed on the waiting list?
- What are the current staff qualifications?
- Do you offer extended care?
- How do you support children with additional needs including disability and medical conditions?
- What happens if my child is unwell, upset, or unsettled?
- How are food and drink given to the children?
- How do you ensure the service is child safe and meets the Child Safe Standards?

Did you know

Some kindergartens offer additional programs and services to help your child learn and grow.

Find out more:

Kindergarten at a long day care

If your child already goes to child care, you should go to any information sessions they run. They may also have a kindergarten program.

You can tell if your child care service has a kindergarten program because they will have the Kinder Tick logo displayed on the service’s building, grounds, or information.

Your child care service may offer information sessions on different topics, including the transition from long day care to kindergarten. Attend the information sessions to learn more.

Learn more about the types of kindergarten programs, including the difference between kinder in a long day care and kinder in a sessional setting.

Kindergarten quality

You should consider the quality of the kindergarten program. This is rated with a system called the National Quality Framework (NQF). It provides a national approach to assessment and quality improvement for services.

Services are assessed and rated against the National Quality Standard (NQS) and given a rating for each of the 7 quality areas and an overall rating based on these results. The NQF includes the NQS the National Law and National Regulations, the approved learning frameworks (ALF) and the assessment and rating process.

Both the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and Belonging, Being and Becoming; The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia V2.0 (EYLF V2.0) are approved learning frameworks required to be implemented as part of the National Quality Standard (NQS) in Victorian approved settings.

In addition to being a legislative requirement, services approved for kindergarten funding in Victoria are required to use the VEYLDF to guide their practice as part of their service agreement. Other services can choose to use one or the other, or both.

Good quality kindergarten is important because it sets young children up for life.

Find out more about how to choose a quality service.

Kinder Tick

The Victorian Government is making it easier for families to find funded and approved kindergarten programs. For kinder you can count on, just look for the Kinder Tick.

What's next

Once you find a kindergarten that meets your needs, you can find out more about how to enrol and prepare your child for starting kindergarten.

Education

Updated 20 May 2025