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’.
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 2025.
For the most current information, check the roll-out schedule.
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