Parents and guardians looking to register and enrol children in pre-kindergarten (two years before school) can do so for free in 2021 only, as a response to the social and economic impact of COVID-19.
Across Terms 2-4 in 2020, the Victorian Government has provided funding to sessional kindergarten services to support them to offer kindergarten for free during the period of the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.
In contrast to free kindergarten in 2020, this initiative provides funding support to all children receiving a funded kinder program or Pre- kindergarten program in 2021, regardless of what type of service they attend. This captures the approximately 30 per cent of children who receive their funded kinder program in a long day care setting.
All families with a child enrolled in a funded kindergarten program are eligible for Free Kinder, in either sessional or long day care services that take up the Government offer. This includes all children attending funded kindergarten programs in the year before school (Four-Year-Old Kindergarten). For those families that have children attending unfunded three-year-old programs in sessional kindergarten services, there will also be reduced parent fees.
Council Manager Early Years Sally Rose said pre-kindergarten brings new challenges and educational learning opportunities.
"Pre-Kindergarten is about having fun and interacting with other children and adults at the centre in a play-based environment. The program is flexible and allows for all the different needs for each individual child. All children learn and develop skills at their own pace, and Council's pre-kindergarten programs are set up to support this," she said.
If you are interested in registering for Pre- kindergarten (two years before school), registrations can be made using the online form on Council's website.
