Introduction to kindergarten

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Registering for Kindergarten

Families can register for Three-year-old Kindergarten and Four-year-old Kindergarten by completing the online registration form, available on Frankston City Council’s (FCC) website at Kindergartens - Frankston City Council or by contacting the Kindergarten Registration Team by phone 1300 322 322 or email kindergarten@frankston.vic.gov.au.

Families must submit forms by the ‘on-time registration closing date’ for first round offers. Specific dates for on-time registration can vary slightly each year. These dates will be available on the Kindergarten page on the FCC website.

For children registering for 2027, registrations are considered on time if received:

  • Between 1 April 2026 and 12 June 2026 for four year old kindergarten.
  • Between 1 April and 3 August 2026 for three year old kindergarten.

Registrations will only be processed when all required documentation has been provided. This includes supporting documentation for Exceptional Circumstances.

For assistance with the online registration form, or to update or amend any information, the Kindergarten Central Registration Team can be contacted by phone 1300 322 322 or email kindergarten@frankston.vic.gov.au.

Information needed to complete registration includes:

  • Child’s name, date of birth, language spoken at home, any previous kindergarten attendance and immunisation status;
  • Parent / guardian contact details;
  • Details of any additional support the child might need to participate in the kindergarten program due to diagnosed disability, development delay or complex medical conditions;
  • Details of any priority category your child meets from Council’s local allocation criteria eg, prior connection, siblings, exceptional circumstances;
  • Two proof of address documents may be requested which clearly shows the applicants name: such as a recent utility bill, driver’s licence, rental agreement or rates notice.

 2025-2026 Kindergarten Central Registration Information Book(PDF, 564KB).

Allocation Process

Three-year-old and four-year-old kindergarten places are allocated separately. While Council aims to offer children a place at the same kindergarten for both years, this cannot be guaranteed. Each kindergarten is licensed for a maximum number of children and must comply with national regulations regarding enrolment limits. If registrations exceed available places, some children may need to attend a different kindergarten for their four-year-old year.

Allocation to kindergartens commences in July each year. Council uses a Central Registration software program to manage the allocation process to ensure it is carried out fairly and consistently, and in line with the Priority of Access and Allocation procedure.

If the number of registrations exceeds available places at a kindergarten, a computerised ballot process using Council’s Software system is used to allocate remaining places. The Kindergarten Central Registration Scheme is managed through this system, which includes restricted access controls and secure record storage.

For information about the Department of Education Priority of Access Policy, visit: Priority of access for early childhood education | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au).

Detailed Allocation Criteria

Where kindergartens have a greater number of registrations than available places, a waiting list is established. Offers continue to be made as vacancies arise based on the following Priority of Access and Local Area Criteria which can be found in Council’s Kindergarten Central Registration Protocol(PDF, 437KB)

Early Start Kindergarten (ESK)

Early Start Kindergarten gives eligible children 15 hours of free or low-cost kindergarten a week for two years before starting school.

A child is eligible for Early Start Kindergarten if they are three years old by 30 April in the year they are attending kindergarten and:

  • Are from a refugee or asylum seeker background, or
  • Identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, or
  • If the eligible family has had contact with child protection.

Eligible children may be enrolled in a three-year-old group, four-year-old group, mixed age group, or a combination of groups within the same service. Programs must be delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher to ensure children have access to 15 hours of funded kindergarten.

Pre-Prep

From 2026, Pre-Prep will provide eligible children with access to 16 to 25 hours of funded kindergarten per week in the year before school. Each kindergarten service will determine the number of hours offered within this range.

A child is eligible for Pre-Prep if they are four years old by 30 April in the year they attend kindergarten and meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • The child or family is from a refugee or asylum seeker background;
  • The child identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • The family has had contact with child protection.

Eligible children may be enrolled in a three-year-old group, four-year-old group, mixed age group, or a combination of groups within the same service. Programs must be delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher to support access to increased funded hours. Pre-Prep timetables are available by contacting the kindergarten directly.

By 2036, all children across Victoria will have access to 1,800 hours of funded kindergarten before school, including 600 hours of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and 1,200 hours of Pre-Prep.

Both Pre-Prep and Three-Year-Old Kinder are part of the Free Kinder program.

Follow the link below to see if your child is eligible for the increased hours in 2026.

https://www.vic.gov.au/preprep 

Benefits of attending kindergarten

Kindergarten is an important step for young children and it is strongly recommended all children go to kindergarten.

Research has shown that:

  • early education helps set children up for a bright future
  • attending two years of quality kindergarten has even greater benefits
  • at kindergarten children learn skills that they'll take with them throughout their life.

Kindergarten improves children’s health and wellbeing, helps them to develop strong social skills and encourages a love of learning.

Children who go to kindergarten are more independent and confident and are more likely to make a smooth move to primary school.

For more information on the benefits of kinder, visit the Department of Education and Training website.

How to choose a kindergarten

As some kindergartens can be oversubscribed, you are advised to visit as many kindergartens in your area as possible and decide which kindergarten best suits your child's needs. 

Nominating kindergarten preferences 

For 2026 families can nominate one kindergarten preference. This will change for 2027 registrations and families will be able to nominate up to three kindergarten options in order of priority.

Listing multiple kindergartens does not guarantee a placement, as offers are dependent on availability.

For example, families who select Kindergarten 1 as their first preference will have a higher priority of placement at Kindergarten 1 over families who select Kindergarten 2 or Kindergarten 3.

If you are offerend your second or third preference kindergarten you can accept the offer and still elect to “wait” for your first preference kindergarten in the event that a place becomes available.

Due to limited availability you are not guaranteed to receive a place at your preferred kindergarten. 

If there are no places available at any of the three kindergarten preferences nominated, you will go on the waiting list for your first preference kindergarten.

Do NOT submit multiple online registrations for different kindergartens.  Only one registration per child per year.  If you need to amend an existing registration please contact the Kindergarten Registration and Liaison Team on 1300 322 322 or email kindergarten@frankston.vic.gov.au.

If you would like to inquire further about kindergarten vacancies for the current year, please contact the Kindergarten Registration and Liaison Team on 1300 322 322.

Kindergarten/school readiness

Legally, children must be 5 years old by 30 April of the year they are commencing school. They may commence school in the year they turn 6 years of age.

If you would like more information about kindergarten please visit the Department of Education and Training website.

Kindergarten groups and session times

Kindergartens set their own session times. These sometimes vary from year to year depending on demand. Most kindergartens do not set their session times until the kindergarten offer process is almost finalised, as it is not known until this time what the numbers are for each service.  

Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan

The Victorian Government has committed to implement funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten for all children over a 10-year roll-out with a total investment of almost $5 billion, including $1.68 billion to support the infrastructure expansion required for the reform.  This will add another year of universal funded kindergarten providing all children with two years of play based learning before the commencement of primary school.

Frankston City Council is working in partnership with the Victorian Government to support the rollout of three-year-old Kindergarten and identify service demand for each local area across the municipality. Council was invited by the Department of Education and Training (DET) to discuss and agree upon a Kindergarten Infrastructure and Service Plan (KISP) for Frankston City.

The KISP estimates future demand for kindergarten places against existing supply at a local area level. It is intended to be used as a tool to support Council, as well as not-for-profit and for-profit kindergarten providers operating in Frankston City, with service planning.  

For more information on the KISP please go to the Department of Education and Training website. 

A copy of the KISP can be found under Related Information. 

Related Information

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