Step 1 – Choose your kindergarten

It is important to choose the right time for your child to start kindergarten.

Kindergarten starting ages are generally determined by the child’s date of birth, however, families with children who are born between 1 January and 30 April have additional choices available to them.

Children are only eligible for one year of 3-year-old kindergarten and one year of 4-year-old kindergarten.

When your child starts kindergarten relates to the age they will start primary school.  When enrolling in 3-year-old kindergarten, we encourage families to consider the age they would like their child to start primary school.

Children cannot start kindergarten until they have turned 3.

Your decision can be critical with long-reaching implications for your child. You may also wish to speak with kindergarten educators, your maternal and child health nurse or the Preschool Field Officer.

Should your child turn 3 between January and April in the year of commencement, you will be contacted by an Early Childhood Teacher or a CPSG staff member to discuss the options available.

https://www.vic.gov.au/when-start-kindergarten

The kindergarten that is closest to your residence is usually the best option.  This ensures that the child builds a good community connection and will likely know children when transitioning into primary school.  However, regardless of proximity, kindergarten is a personal choice based on what each kindergarten offers within their indoor/outdoor program. It is recommended that you visit kindergartens of interest to compare and assist you in deciding which would be more suitable for your child.

Kindergarten programs are delivered by a qualified Early Childhood Teacher.  They are designed to improve your child’s development in:

• social skills, like how to play with other children in a calm, sharing and rewarding way
• self-awareness and respect for others
• emotional skills, e.g., understanding their feelings
• language, literacy and numeracy skills, such as reading stories and counting objects
• participating in learning and group activities, such as talking, drawing and making things together with other children their own age
• making new friends; and
• being exposed to new ideas and concepts.

Kindergarten also gives families:

• opportunities to meet other families and make community connections
• access to support for children with special needs; and
• access to other community services.

CPSG runs mixed-age groups across all our services.  This brings together children aged three to six years old offering a unique opportunity for learning and development and can enhance the social and emotional skills of both age groups.

Early childhood education is not about everyone learning the same thing at the same time – it is about creating opportunities for children to learn through active exploration and manipulation of the environment, through communication, through interactions and through developmentally appropriate experiences (appropriate to their own  development – not someone elses!)…Merryn Coughlin, Early Childhood Teacher

Mixed-age groups provide benefits to both the older and younger children in the service.

• Older children often take on a mentoring role and benefit from helping younger children in co-operative learning situations, while younger children have the opportunity of enhanced learning experiences where they are ready for it.
• Older children are able to practice and reinforce their own skills as they teach them to younger children e.g. teaching routines, helping them with tasks, communicating kindergarten rules, etc.
• Older children provide a model of appropriate behaviour for the younger children – this can mean less behaviour problems in the classroom because younger children integrate quickly into established class routines as modelled by the older children.
• Younger children are able to seek help from a wider range of people rather than relying on the teacher to help them all the time.  This builds their sense of wellbeing and their development of connections within the kindergarten community.

Because early childhood education is focused on individual development, there is not one specific benchmark for all children to achieve by a certain time.  Having a mixed-age group reinforces this and ensures that teachers are always focusing on children’s individual needs and development.

Your child will have the benefit of a consistent Early Childhood Teacher over their two years of early childhood education. This means that not only will the teacher have a deeper understanding of your child’s development, resulting in a greater ability to facilitate their education; but your child will have jumped some of the major hurdles of early education by the time they get to school – learning the service routines and expectations and most importantly, establishing a positive relationship with their teacher. Often when there is a different teacher for each year level, children must again adjust to different teaching styles, service routines and expectations.

Yes, kindergarten is free in Victoria. The Victorian government provides funding for both three- and four-year-old kindergarten programs at participating services, including standalone and long day care centers. This means families in Victoria can access free kindergarten for their children without paying out-of-pocket for the program itself. 

Free Kinder is free for everyone – you don’t need to be a permanent resident or Australian citizen to access a free kindergarten program.

NB:  Free Kinder can only be accessed at one service at a time.