Quick guide for parents

Research shows that play-based learning is a powerful way to support children’s development. These benefits last into the school years and beyond.

Did you know that 90 percent of a child’s brain develops by the time they turn 5?

The evidence also shows that two years are better than one when it comes to early learning.

A quality kindergarten program will have more of an impact for children who start at age three rather than four. The benefits are even greater for children who are in vulnerable circumstances.

Children are given the opportunity to use their imagination and practise important skills, such as problem-solving, through play-based learning.

Children start to learn literacy, numeracy and language skills at kinder. They also learn how to get along with others, share, listen, and focus their attention.

Teachers and educators help children become curious, creative, and confident about learning. Often, they will introduce a play-experience, idea or topic and let children lead their own learning through exploration and experimentation.

Kinder programs are designed to meet the needs of their local families. All kinder programs work with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework. This makes sure the programs are right for children's ages.

For families with children enrolled in standalone kinder programs, Free Kinder means a free program at participating services:

• For 3-year-old children, this means a free kinder program of between 5 and 15 hours each week (200-600 hours each year). 
• For 4-year-olds, this means a free kinder program of 15 hours each week (600 hours each year).

As a condition of Free Kinder, services must offer a free 15-hour program. However, some standalone services may choose to offer additional kindergarten program hours on top of the free 15-hour program.

Services may charge families for the additional hours. The fees for these additional hours can be set at the service's discretion, in consultation with their community, and are not subject to funded kindergarten fee policies.

Some standalone kindergarten services may choose to not participate in Free Kinder. These services will ask families to pay fees termly or annually. These fees are set by providers.

For families with children enrolled in kinder programs at long day care services, Free Kinder means a fee offset of up to $2,000 per child at participating services:

• For 3-year-old children, this means from $666.67 (for a child enrolled in the funded kinder program for 5 hours) to $2,000 (for a child enrolled for 15 hours). 
• For 4-year-old children, this means $2,000 for children enrolled in a 15-hour kinder program (600 hours a year).

For kinder programs in long day care centres, families usually pay a per-day fee. Eligible families can receive a rebate on this per-day fee via the Commonwealth Government’s Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

Long day care centres are required to pass on the full amount to families as a direct reduction in their out-of-pocket fees. This will provide a free program for some families and a significantly reduced cost for other families, depending on service fees, number of days attended, and the amount of Commonwealth subsidy received.

3-year-old children who are eligible for the Early Start Kindergarten program are entitled to 15 hours of free kinder each week now, no matter how many hours are offered in the standard program, no matter where they live. Early Start Kindergarten is available for children who are:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• known to Child Protection or have been referred by Child Protection to Child FIRST
• from a refugee or asylum seeker background.

3- and 4-year-old children eligible for the Kindergarten Fee Subsidy can also access a free program. This will be a 15-hour program for 4-year-olds and a program of between 5 and 15 hours for 3-year-olds, depending on which the service is in and the number of hours offered.

Speak to your kinder service about your family’s eligibility when you enrol your child.

Families with children born between January and April can choose which year to start Three-Year-Old Kindergarten. These children can start in the same year they turn 3, or in the year they turn 4 years of age.

Due to staffing requirements, some services may ask that children start attending kinder only after their third birthday. This may mean that some children may not start attending their kinder program until part-way into Term 1.

When your child starts at kindergarten directly relates to the age they will start at primary school. When enrolling at Three-Year-Old Kindergarten, we encourage families to plan ahead and consider the age they would like their child to start at school. 

If your child will turn 6 in late December (between the last day of the school year and 31 December), they can attend Four-Year-Old Kindergarten in that year and attend school the following year.

Speak to your local services about the best time for your child to start at Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.

There are a few things you need to know when making this decision:

• Kinder services are required to have a different ratio of staff to children, this will vary depending on the children's ages.
• Some services might not have the number of staff needed to accommodate 2-year-olds. For these services, your child must have turned 3 before they can attend.
• If your child turns 3 by 30 April and you would like them to start kinder that year, you can still enrol your child. Services will hold your child's place until they are old enough to attend.

If you have any questions, contact your local kinder service. 

Services can contact 3yo.kindergarten@education.vic.gov.au for more information.