• Children who turn 4 years old on or before the 30 April in the year they will be attending kindergarten.
• Children who have received funding for a second year of 4 year old kindergarten.
• Children who were eligible to attend the kindergarten program in the previous year but parents chose to defer to the following year.
• Children who are turning 6 years of age in their year of kindergarten who have been granted an exemption from school entry age requirements by their regional Department of Education and Training (DET) office.
• Please note children do not need to be toilet trained to attend kindergarten; however independent toileting skills are encouraged.

For more information visit the DET website www.education.vic.gov.au

If there are any court orders in place relating to the powers, duties, responsibilities or authorities of any person(s) in relation to the child or access to the child, the Nominated Supervisor or the Responsible Person in Charge must ensure the details of the court order are recorded in the child’s enrolment record pursuant to regulation 160(c) and (d) for licensed children’s services.

The Educators should be familiar with any court orders and abide by them as they relate to the provision of care and education of the child at the service.

To access Early Start Kindergarten, eligible children must be at least three years old by 30 April in the year they attend. To discuss your child’s kindergarten readiness you can talk to your maternal and child health nurse or your local kindergarten teacher.

Children cannot commence in a kindergarten program until they have had their 3rd birthday.

• Do educators interact positively with children, other educators and parents?
• Do educators make you and your child feel welcome?
• Is this a safe environment for children to play, learn and develop?
• If your child has additional needs, how will the service meet them?
• Are the children well supervised at all times in a way that suits their age and development?
• Are children engaged in the learning experiences?
• Are the children well settled?
• Are there opportunities for children to play in groups or alone?
• Is the educational program run inside and outdoors?
• Are there spaces for children to be involved in active, noisy play as well as space for quiet play?
• Is the service clean and well maintained?
• Does the equipment support the children’s educational program?
• Is there enough equipment for the children?
• Ensure the service has an anaphylaxis management policy
• Is important information about the service and its educational programs displayed?

Most importantly, your child will be learning to be an engaged and effective learner as they develop and extend their communication skills; begin to understand social studies and science; develop skills that assist with reading, writing and mathematics; learn to be creative; and build self-confidence.

Attending kindergarten also provides families and carers with the opportunity to get to know other families. Through links to other local early childhood services kindergarten educators can help families to access a range of early years support services.

The Victorian Government provides funding to make kindergarten fees affordable so that all children have the opportunity to participate in a kindergarten program in the year before school. This is usually when they are four years old. Kindergarten services charge fees to contribute to the cost of operating the kindergarten program.

A second year of funded kindergarten may be considered when a child is showing delays in at least two key learning and development areas. A process needs to be undertaken that requires final approval by DET.

Your child is eligible for the subsidy if you or your child has:

• A Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Card or White Card
• An Asylum Seeker Bridging Visa A–F
• A Temporary Protection/Humanitarian Visa 447, 451, 785, or 786
• A Refugee and Special Humanitarian Visa 200–217
• A Resolution of Status (RoS) Visa, Class CD, Subclass 851

Or your child is an:

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or
• Triplets or quadruplets attending kindergarten in the same year.

The service applies on your behalf to the Department of Education and Training (DET) for the kindergarten fee subsidy, and can do so at any time of the year.

Services are required to employ educators with appropriate qualifications and provide educational programs based on children’s abilities, interests and experiences. Most services are required to construct learning environments based on an approved learning framework such as the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework. For more information visit www.education.vic.gov.au

The Framework supports and guides Early Childhood Professionals to work together, with children and with families to achieve the best outcomes for children. The Framework identifies five learning outcomes for children from birth to eight years:

• Children have a strong sense of identity
• Children are connected with and contribute to their world
• Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
• Children are confident and involved learners
• Children are effective communicators.

Each learning outcome is targeted to develop the knowledge and skills children need to be confident and happy throughout their life.

They provide specialist training for kindergarten educators to enable a child with a diagnosed disability to take part in a kindergarten program. The service also provides additional resources and equipment, or an additional staff member within the service, to further support all children, as needed. An Information and Application Kit is available for families and kindergarten programs seeking support. To access the kit visit www.education.vic.gov.au/

The program is run by Preschool Field Officers, who are highly qualified Early Childhood Professionals specialising in early childhood education and development. They support those services offering funded kindergarten programs by providing consultation, resources and advice to educators and families.

Any family with a child attending a government-funded kindergarten program with additional needs or a teacher working in a government-funded kindergarten program can access this service. A referral can be made by a parent or teacher. Referral forms can be obtained from your local early childhood service.

Sessional Kindergarten Is a kindergarten program delivered by a bachelor qualified Early Childhood Teacher for a set number of hours on allocated day/s during the week, where the child is in a consistent group for the whole year. Session times can vary in length and spread across the week.

4 Year Old Kindergarten (formerly known as preschool) is a universal early childhood program, funded by the State Government for children in the year prior to commencing primary school.