Kindergarten | Brimbank

All Victorian children can now access 2 years of kindergarten!

Kindergarten is important to the learning and development of children in the years before they start school. At kindergarten, children learn key skills for life through play-based learning, such as:

creative thinking
social and emotional skills
early literacy and
language skills.

Over 70 kindergarten programs are run across Brimbank by qualified early childhood educators. We manage the registration of some of these programs, known as sessional kindergartens.

Child's age	Hours at kindergarten each week
Three-year-old (3YO) kindergarten	5-15 hours per week All centres will offer 15 hours per week by 2029
Four-year-old (4YO) kindergarten	15 hours per week Will change to 30 hours per week in 2032

Things you need to know about kindergarten

Types of kindergarten

Kindergarten programs are run in either:

sessional kindergartens or
as integrated programs within Long Day Care programs at childcare centres.

We manage the registration of sessional kindergartens in Brimbank only. Council does not run the kindergarten programs. Integrated programs are privately managed. Find the difference between sessional and integrated programs in the table below.

Services	Sessional (Stand Alone)	Integrated (Long Day Care)
No fees required (from 2023)	Yes
Daily fees payable		Yes
Child Care Subsidy available		Yes
Bachelor qualifed teacher	Yes	Yes
Play-based learning	Yes	Yes
Up to 15 hours available	Yes	Yes
During school terms only	Yes
Set days and times (2/3 days per week)	Yes
Long-day program (up to 5 days per week)		Yes
Before and aftercare		Yes
Meals provided		Yes

When to start kindergarten

Children can attend 3YO kindergarten if they are 3 (or turning 3 before 30 April). Families with children born between January and 30 April may choose whether to enrol their children in a kindergarten program in the year they turn 3 years old.

Children can attend 4YO kindergarten the year before they start school.

Child's date of birth	3YO kindergarten	4YO kindergarten
1/5/2018 - 30/4/2019	2022	2023
1/5/2019 - 30/4/2020	2023	2024
1/5/2020 - 30/4/2021	2024	2025
1/5/2021 - 30/4/2022	2025	2026
1/5/2022 - 30/4/2023	2026	2027

Things to consider when deciding when to start kindergarten include a child’s:

developmental and learning levels
family circumstances and
preferred school starting age.

Families can discuss their child’s kindergarten readiness by speaking with their MCH nurse at their child’s next KAS appointment.

Cost

From 2023, 3YO and 4YO kindergarten will be free across Victoria.

Families with children in sessional programs will not be required to pay any fees. Those in integrated programs will get a $2000 reduction in fees pro rata (per 15 hours) and will still need to pay for care outside of the kindergarten program.

Early Start Kindergarten

A special program called Early Start Kindergarten (PDF 391KB) is available to eligible 3-year-olds to access 15 hours of funded kindergarten per week, instead of 5 hours.

Eligibility includes children:

who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
of families who have had contact with Child Protection (or have been referred to Child FIRST)
who have refugee or asylum seeker children (DOCX 118KB)

For more information call the Brimbank Kindergarten Registration team on 03 9249 4000 or email ESK@brimbank.vic.gov.au

Preschool Field Officer Program

The Preschool Field Officer Program helps kindergarten educators support children already at kindergarten who have additional needs, so they can better access and take part in kindergarten programs.

Learn more about the program or apply for a Preschool Field Officer Referral program.

Kindergarten in Brimbank

Sessional kindergarten registrations

We register children from birth at their first Maternal and Child Health nurse appointment.

Visit Kindergarten Registration Updates

to check your kindergarten registration and preferences
to update your contact details

Allocation process:

In the year before kindergarten, we contact all families already registered in its system to confirm their contact details and kindergarten preferences.
From May, Council allocates places for 3YO kindergarten
From July, Council allocates places for 4YO kindergarten
Families must accept their offer with Council via the forms provided to complete the process.
Later in the year, the kindergarten families have accepted their offer with will make contact to begin the enrolment process.

Allocation is made according to a Priority of Access criteria set out by the Department of Education and Training. Read more about Priority of Access and allocation in the Kindergarten registration policy. (PDF 198KB)