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The Victorian Government provides funds directly to kindergartens to run free kindergarten programs from 5 to 15 hours each week.
Additional fees and charges may be set by individual kindergartens.
Government funding is available for only one kindergarten program per child. In other words, if children attend multiple programs, only one kindergarten will receive the funding.
3- and 4-year-old kindergarten fees
Kindergartens set their own fees, which may include:
- a fee to secure your child's place (refunded when the child starts kinder)
- fees to attend optional additional hours
- one-off excursion costs.
You can find fees for member kindergartens on our website, including concession fees.
For all other kindergartens in Boroondara you can use our kindergartens map to find contact details.
Children attending a member kindergarten must allocate their kindergarten funding to this service.
If your child attends another service that offers a funded kindergarten program, it's your responsibility to tell that service that they cannot access your child’s funding.
Pre-Prep
Between 2030 and 2032 the Victorian Government will transition from 4-year-old kindergarten to Pre-Prep. Funded kindergarten hours will double from 15 to 30 hours a week.
Find out more about Pre-Prep on the Victorian Government website.
Victorian Government’s Free Kinder initiative
The Victorian Government has announced that kindergarten will be free for every child attending a participating kindergarten.
- Participation in the Free Kinder initiative is an opt-in decision made by each individual kindergarten. All our member kindergartens have opted in for free kinder.
- Kindergartens that participate in the Free Kinder program offer 15 hours of free kinder each week.
- Some kindergartens offer more than 15 hours as part of their program. Any optional additional hours above the standard 15 hours may come at a fee.
Early Start Kindergarten
Early Start Kindergarten gives eligible children 15 hours of free or low-cost kindergarten a week for 2 years before starting school.
To be eligible, your child must be 3 years old by 30 April in the year they start kindergarten, and:
- identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- be a refugee or asylum seeker, or
- your family has had contact with Child Protection (or been referred to Child FIRST).
Children who have used Early Start Kindergarten, identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or are a refugee or asylum seeker can access free or low cost 4-year-old kindergarten through the Early Start Kindergarten Extension Grant.
Contact us
We (Council) oversee the kindergarten central registration scheme to provide an equitable, consistent and convenient registration process for service providers and families. We are not a funding body and we don’t manage kindergarten services in Boroondara.
For more information on kindergarten, contact us on 9278 4444 or email [email protected].