Kindergarten

Kindergarten is an important first step in early childhood education. Degree qualified early childhood educators deliver play-based educational experiences aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework.

Kindergarten is available to all 3 and 4 year old children in Victoria, regardless of family circumstances.

• Subsidised Kinder is available in three- and four-year-old Kindergarten programs at participating funded sessional and long-day care services for 15 – 30 hours per week 15 hours per week.  

Pre-prep is the same as the Four-Year-Old Kindergarten program. Children who are eligible are able to attend additional hours of kindergarten per week.

For more information or to register, please contact the Kindergarten Enrolment Officer on 03 5018 8100 or email kindergarten@mildura.vic.gov.au

Standalone kindergartens run during their scheduled program times. They choose the days and hours and are usually closed during school holidays. These are often called sessional kindergartens and are funded by the Department of Education.

Long day care centres offer kindergarten programs alongside extended hours of care. These additional hours often include meals and extra educational and recreational activities for your child. Fees are subsidised by the Department of Education (based on a 15hr program) and is applied as an offset to your invoice.

All kindergarten programs are facilitated by Early Childhood Teachers.

A long day care centre might suit your family if you:

1. need childcare for extended hours, such as while you're at work
2. have younger children who also need care at the same time and at the same place as your kinder age child. 

Families with children born between January 1 and April 30 can choose which year to start Three-Year-Old Kindergarten. These children can start in the same year they turn 3, or in the following year.  However, they cannot physically attend until they have turned 3. Children born between May 1 and December 31 can be registered to start the following year.

To check when your child will be eligible to start Three-Year-Old Kindergarten, you can use the starting age calculator. 

The year of when your child starts kindergarten does effect when they will start primary school. When enrolling in three-year-old Kindergarten, we encourage families to plan ahead and consider the age they would like their child to start school as a “2nd year” of kindergarten must be approved by the Department of Education.

Unsure? Follow this link to find out!  

Central Registration & Enrolment Scheme (CRES) is a free service designed to help families register for kindergarten. We partner with local kindergartens to make the enrolment process simple and supportive for our community.

Our Service provides a single point of contact for families to apply to multiple kindergarten services within the municipality, helping ensure children are placed in a program that meets their needs.

Allocations are based on family preferences and guided by the Department of Education’s Priority Access Criteria to ensure a fair and equitable process. Priority of Access for 2027 | vic.gov.au