More hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder

Accessing more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder

Kinder shapes the way children play, learn and grow.

Many Victorian families can now access more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder. This gives children more time to learn through play and build confidence.

This initiative is sometimes referred to as ‘Pre-Prep’.

Free Kinder Shapes Young Lives - 4-Year-Old Kinder (30sec)

View transcript

Key changes

Children across Victoria can attend kinder for 15 hours per week in the year before school, known as 4-Year-Old Kinder.

Since 2025

Families living in some regional local government areas (LGAs) can access more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder.

The number of hours depends on the LGA.

Each year, more LGAs have access to these additional hours. The number of hours will increase over time.

Since 2026

More hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder are available across Victoria to:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
children from a refugee or asylum seeker background
children who have had contact with Child Protection
children who were supported by Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) or Access to Early Learning (AEL) in their 3-Year-Old Kinder year.

Victorian families can access more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder through:

standalone (sessional) kindergartens

long day care (childcare).

3-Year-Old Kinder and 4-Year-Old Kinder are part of Free Kinder(opens in a new window). This means the additional hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder are part of Free Kinder.

Check if your child can get more hours

Use this calculator to find out if your child is eligible for more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder (Pre-Prep) and when they can start.

Before you start, you need to know your local council(opens in a new window).

Important

This tool does not show eligibility for children born after 2026.

For the most current information, check the roll-out schedule.

Learn more about...

Updated 21 July 2026