Priority of Access (PoA) helps service providers determine which children are offered a funded kindergarten place first when there are more applications than places. This applies to all funded kindergarten programs in sessional and long day care services including places allocated through a Central Registration and Enrolment Scheme (CRES).
All funded kindergarten services must promote fair and equitable access to kindergarten programs and have a PoA policy in place.
Priority of Access for 2027
In 2027, PoA is applied in 2 tiers:
- Tier 1: children who will benefit the most from improved access and participation in a kindergarten program.
- Tier 2: for children currently attending the service, applied after all Tier 1 children are placed.
Services must use the PoA criteria when there are more eligible children than available kindergarten places. This means services must:
- offer places based on the PoA criteria
- work with other local kindergarten services and the local ECIB to help all eligible children access a kindergarten place.
PoA must be applied before any locally agreed criteria. Long day care services must apply the PoA criteria to all funded kindergarten places.
PoA applies to all children, whether they live inside or outside the local government area (LGA) where a service is located.
If your service is offering more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder, once you apply the PoA criteria you must then prioritise children who live in the LGA. Children from outside the LGA whose nearest service is within it, must be prioritised before other children from outside the LGA.
These criteria apply to all 2027 enrolments.
If you need help, guidance is available from your local ECIB.
Below are PoA eligibility and evidence requirements for 2027 enrolments.
| High priority children | Criteria and processes for verifying need(s) |
| Tier 1 | |
| Children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in out-of-home care |
|
| Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children | As part of the enrolment process, service providers must respectfully ask families ‘Do you identify your child as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander?’ and record this information in Arrival. |
| Asylum seeker and refugee children |
|
| Children and/or families holding concession cards | A child, parent or legal guardian who holds a Commonwealth Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Veterans’ Affairs Card. |
| Children from families with multiple births | Multiple birth children (i.e. triplets or more). |
Children and/or families with additional needs who require additional assistance to fully participate in the kindergarten program | Child and family with additional needs who meet one of the following. Child:
Parent or carer:
|
| Children accessing an additional year of 3- and 4-Year-Old Kinder | Children assessed with delays in two or more areas and are identified as eligible for an additional year of funded 3-Year-Old Kinder or 4-Year-Old Kinder. |
| Tier 2 | |
| Children currently attending the service | Children attending the service in the 3-Year-Old Kinder program and seeking to access 4-Year-Old Kinder at the same service for continuity of learning. Priority should be given to these children to remain at the same service for their 4-Year-Old Kinder. |
Services in rollout LGAs offering more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder
The department’s PoA criteria apply to all enrolments for 2027.
Children that meet priority cohort criteria also meet the Tier 1 PoA criteria. These children must be given priority over children who do not meet the Tier 1 criteria.
For services located in rollout LGAs offering more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder:
- apply Tier 1 and Tier 2 PoA criteria first
- then give priority to children who live in the LGA, and to those who live outside the LGA but whose nearest service is located within it, ahead of other children from outside the LGA.
Locally agreed criteria
Service providers and CRES can apply locally agreed criteria after applying PoA and, if relevant, the criteria above for services in rollout LGAs offering more hours of 4-Year-Old Kinder.
Examples include:
- how close a family lives to the service
- whether they have a connection to the service.
These criteria must be documented and shared with families.
Kindergarten places must be allocated in line with anti-discrimination and human rights laws.
Advice and support for services
The PoA Implementation Guide for 2027 enrolments supports services to apply the 2027 PoA criteria.
If you need help with the PoA criteria and support with local planning, contact your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch (ECIB).
Advice and information for families
Resources are available to help families understand the PoA policy for 2027 and whether they may be eligible. This is available on the PoA website for families.
Families, parents and carers who have questions about Priority of Access or need support with enrolment should contact your kindergarten service directly.
Priority of Access for 2028
An updated PoA criteria will apply to all funded kindergarten services in Victoria for 2028 enrolments.
To support service providers, this includes PoA Implementation Guidance for 2028 enrolments to help service providers to apply the updated PoA when prioritising enrolments.
View the Priority of Access for 2028.
Updated information for families to help understand the PoA policy for 2028 will be made available in Term 1, 2027.
Updated