Three-year-old kindergarten

Information for families

What does three-year-old funded kindergarten mean?

From 2022, as part of the State Government's Kindergarten Reform, every Victorian three-year-old child will be able to access five hours per week of funded three-year-old kindergarten, progressively scaling up to 15 hours per week by 2029.

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

Council's role

The City of Whittlesea is committed to supporting the community in accessing quality education services and is working in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET), Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) and the services to plan for the funded three-year-old Kindergarten programs commenceing in 2022.

Council is not a manager of kindergarten services in Whittlesea however it does manage the Kindergartens Central Application Scheme.

If you speak a language other than English and would like assistance to apply for kindergarten, or to find out more information, please contact Council’s Early Years team on 9217 2170. You are welcome to contact the Interpreting Service 131 450

Eligibility

When to start Kindergarten?

Your child needs to turn three to commence Three-Year-old kindergarten before the 30 April. There are a few things you may need to consider when making the decision to commence kindergarten. For Date of Birth Range see the table below.

For more information on when to start Three-Year-Old Kindergarten visit: Give your child the best start | Victorian Government

Free or low cost kindergarten

Are you eligible to pay no or low fees?

Most kindergarten program fees are partly paid by the Victorian Government directly to the kindergarten. 

Families can access a sessional kindergarten service for free or low cost if the child: 

• is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• is a triplet or quadruplet
• is covered by a Health Care Card
• holds an eligible concession card or refugee, humanitarian or asylum seeker visa, or their parent or guardian does

For more information visit: How much kindergarten costs via education.vic.gov.au

Early Start Kindergarten

Early Start Kindergarten gives eligible children 15 hours of free or low-cost kindergarten a week for two years before starting school.

To be eligible, your child must be three by 30 April in the year they start kindergarten, and:

• is from a refugee or asylum seeker background, or
• identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or
• your family has had contact with Child Protection/Child First/Orange Door

For more information about Early Start Kindergarten visit Early Start Kindergarten via education.vic.gov.au

Where can I find out more information about three-year-old kindergarten?

• talk to your local kindergarten service
• view the kindergartens on Council’s website
• The Department of Education and Training website.