There are a range of supports for funded kindergartens to enable Victorian children from all backgrounds to access and participate in kindergarten programs. These supports may be particularly useful when engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from a refugee or asylum seeker background, and children who have had contact with Child Protection, who will have statewide access to Pre-Prep from 2026.
School Readiness Funding (SRF) funds a range of programs and supports that aim to address educational disadvantage through building the capacity of educators and families to respond to children’s learning and development needs. SRF supports all funded early childhood education services.
Services can choose from a menu of evidence-informed programs and supports (the Menu), and access allied health supports relating to three priority outcome areas: Communication (language, literacy and numeracy), Wellbeing (social, emotional and executive function) and Access, Inclusion and Participation.
The amount of SRF that services receive is based on the level of need of children enrolled – this is informed by parental occupation and education data, which is why it is important for services to accurately collect this information during enrolment.
In 2025, School Readiness Funding moved from an annual plan to a 2-year planning cycle. This will benefit services by providing greater predictability to be able to plan over a longer time, reducing the administrative requirements associated with the planning and implementation processes and ensuring timely intervention and support is provided. Early Childhood Improvements Branches work with services to develop a two-year School Readiness Funding Plan.
Resources
- School Readiness Funding(opens in a new window): for information about how funding is allocated and what it can be used for.
Koorie Kids Shine promotes the benefits of kindergarten to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and the community. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 3 can access 15 hours of free kindergarten each week through Early Start Kindergarten and 4-year-olds can access up to 25 hours of Pre-Prep.
Koorie Kids Shine also provides information and imagery to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, and has content, including videos, for families and educators.
Contact your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch or Koorie Education Coordinator to support cultural inclusion at your service.
Resources
- Contact a Koorie education coordinator: to support cultural inclusion at your service
- Early childhood education programs supporting Aboriginal children: (opens in a new window)for Koorie Kids Shine communication materials (that can be printed or ordered free of charge) and information about Balert Gerrbik: Koorie Families as First Educators and the bupup balak wayipungang initiatives
- Kindergarten for Aboriginal children: Koorie Kids Shine:(opens in a new window) for information and videos about the benefits of kindergarten for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and cultural safety at kindergarten.
The Early Years Engagement Program (EYEP) focuses on building the capability of Early Childhood service leaders and practitioners to better incorporate First Nations perspectives into their service design, delivery and practice.
The program is managed by the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI) and focuses on reaching Early Childhood service leaders, teachers, and educators that are not connected with other cultural development activities.
There are 8 place-based Early Years Engagement Facilitators across Victoria who assist services in taking the next steps in their journey of embedding First Nations perspectives. This may include assisting services to connect to local Aboriginal community.
There are a range of programs funded by the Department of Education available to support families from CALD backgrounds to access and participate in kindergarten.
These include:
- The CALD Outreach Initiative – supports the inclusion of children from CALD backgrounds in kindergarten and Pre-Prep through CALD Outreach Worker positions at 26 local councils. CALD Outreach Workers provide direct support to families as well as early childhood education and care services to address engagement barriers and support transitions to school and ongoing participation in education.
- The Foundation House Early Years Program – supports early childhood services in their work with children and families from refugee backgrounds through providing resources, professional learning, consultancy and place-based programs including Communities of Practice (CoPs).
- Fka Children’s Services (fkaCS) Cultural Inclusion Support – provides advice, referral and support to kindergarten services, to identify and address barriers to the inclusion of multilingual children.
All department funded kindergarten services can also access free on-site, telephone and video interpreters and free written document translations.
Parents and carers can access free in-bound telephone interpreting service to initiate contact with a kindergarten or early childhood support service using a telephone interpreter in a preferred language.
Resources
- Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten(opens in a new window): for resources and programs to support communication with CALD families about kindergarten and its benefits, including in-language videos.
- Use an interpreter in early childhood education services(opens in a new window): for information about accessing free telephone, video and on-site interpreters, free written document translations user guides and Foundation House Tip sheets.
- Early Years: for information about the Foundation House Early Years Program, including the (CoPs), resources, videos and case studies on supporting children and families from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to participate in early childhood education.
- fka Children's Services Cultural Inclusion Support Packages(opens in a new window): for information on fka Children’s Services Cultural inclusion support
- Information about kindergarten in your language(opens in a new window): for translated information about Free Kinder, the benefits of 2 years of kindergarten, how to enrol and more – available in 30 different languages.
Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) provides eligible children with 15 hours of free or low-cost kindergarten each week led by a qualified teacher.
To be eligible for ESK, children must:
- be from a refugee or asylum seeker background
- identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or
- be from a family that has had contact with Child Protection or are in out-of-home-care.
Eligible children should be enrolled in ESK, even where Free Kinder or 15 hours per week of funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten is offered.
As these children will be eligible for Pre-Prep the following year, ESK enrolments may give your service an early indication of how many children will be enrolling in Pre-Prep at your service.
Enrolling children through ESK means they have priority of access, can enrol without up-to-date immunisation information (while they undertake catch-up immunisations) under No Jab, No Play legislation, and your service can receive additional funding and support such as through School Readiness Funding.
Resources
- Early Start Kindergarten information for professionals(opens in a new window): for information about ESK eligibility criteria, referral process and funding
- No Jab No Play for early childhood education and care services(opens in a new window): for more information about immunisation requirements for children enrolled in ESK
- Early Start Kindergarten(opens in a new window): for information about ESK for families – translated brochures are available.
LOOKOUT Education Support Centres strengthen the capability of early childhood services, schools, carers, child protection practitioners, and out-of-home care services to improve educational outcomes for children and young people living in out-of-home care.
LOOKOUT Education Support Centres are staffed by multidisciplinary teams, including Early Childhood Learning Advisors, and operate in each of the department’s 4 regions.
Early Childhood Learning Advisors promote and support:
- Early Start Kindergarten
- enrolment and ongoing engagement in quality early childhood education and care settings
- the transition to school process
- inclusive, culturally safe and trauma-informed practice in early childhood education and care settings.
For advice, services should contact the Early Childhood Learning Advisor at their regional LOOKOUT Centre.
Resources
- LOOKOUT Education Support Centres:(opens in a new window) for more information about the support available, and area contact details.
Flexible Support Packages (FSPs) provide short-term assistance (up to 10 weeks) for children who:
- have a background of trauma and adversity in the early years
- consistently demonstrate behaviours of concern
- require immediate additional support to stabilise their attendance and inclusion in the kindergarten program.
FSPs are available state-wide. With an FSP, services are able to purchase additional short-term supports that enhance the child’s safety and engagement in the kindergarten program, through building the service’s capacity, to:
- support and address the child’s concerning behaviours
- regulate attention, emotions and behaviour during attendance
- support the child to develop skills that effectively and positively manage interactions with other children and adults/educators.
Resources
- Flexible Support Packages: for more information about FSPs, including how to access an FSP, and types of supports available through an FSP.
Access to Early Learning (AEL) is an early intervention program for 3-year-old children from families with complex needs. It supports these children and families to get the full benefits of attending a quality kindergarten program.
Trained facilitators work with families and services for the full calendar year, using a child-focused and strengths-based approach. Facilitators assist families to support their child to regularly attend kindergarten. They also visit families at home to help parents and carers with activities to build on what their child is learning at kindergarten.
AEL facilitators will work with kindergartens to ensure the child is supported at the service, and professional learning is also available for teachers who support AEL enrolments.
Children are eligible for AEL if they or their families have 2 or more complex needs, including:
- have had contact with Child Protection
- child and/or parent with intellectual or physical disability
- family violence
- mental health concerns
- sexual assault
- alcohol and drug abuse.
AEL is currently available across 25 Local Government Areas (LGAs). For more information about how to refer to the AEL program, services should contact their local AEL provider.
All AEL enrolments are eligible and should be supported to transition to Pre-Prep in the following year.
Resources
- Access to Early Learning(opens in a new window): for more information about how AEL works (including guidelines and a list of local providers) and its benefits, and details for the 23 sites across Victoria.
Updated