When can my child begin kindergarten

Kindergarten Term Dates

The kindergarten term aligns with the State Governments term dates.

Find future kindergarten term dates on the Victorian Department of Education and Training website.

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When Should My Child Begin

Your child must be 3 years old before they can commence kindergarten. For children born between January and April, they can start:

• 3-year-old kindergarten in the year they turn 3 or 4 years old
• 4-year-old kindergarten in the year they turn 4 or 5 years old.

When Will I Need to Decide the Year My Child Begins
You will need to decide the year your child will begin before they attend kindergarten. You can accept an offer and make the final decision later, before your child attends their first day of kindergarten.

Skills and abilities
When deciding if your child is ready to begin kindergarten, consider the following.

Personal and self-help skills
Your child should be at the stage of becoming more independent with everyday tasks such as:

• managing their lunchbox at eating times
• drinking when they feel thirsty
• caring for their belongings
• storing their belongings in their bag and locker
• taking their shoes off and on
• using the toilet without assistance
• engaging in physical activities while being aware of their safety.

 Communication skills
You should consider if your child can:

• express themselves in their first language by naming objects, speaking in short sentences, or using their visual communication system if they have one
• ask for help, follow simple instructions, and be understood by others.

Your child will be supported in learning to:

• follow simple instructions
• express their feelings to other children and educators
• engage in conversations throughout the day for the purpose of increasing their vocabulary.

 Social and emotional skills
You should consider if your child:

• can separate from you to engage in activities on their own and play with other children
• is beginning to understand emotions such as happiness, sadness, an anger
• is wanting to do things for themselves
• is able to get through the day without sleeping.

Your child will be supported in learning to:

• engage in both large and small group activities
• develop friendships with other children
• develop age-appropriate control over their emotions
• understand the roles, rules and expectations in the kindergarten community
• to make choices about what and where to play.

What Types of Programs Kindergartens Offer?

Kindergartens may offer a variety of program types, including;

• 5 hours per day for 3 days a week
• 5 hours per day for 2 days a week
• 6 hours per day for 2 days and 3 hours for 1 day

 Kindergarten programs may include children aged between 3 and 6 years old, depending on individual circumstances. These programs can be grouped in the following way;

• by age, such as all 3-year-olds or all 4-year-olds,
• part of a mixed-age group, which combines children from both 3-year-old and 4-year-old programs.

Mixed-Age Kindergarten Groups
These groups include both 3-year-old and 4-year-old children, offering a unique opportunity for shared learning and development. Mixed-age settings encourage collaboration, leadership, and social growth among children of different ages.

What are the benefits of a mixed-age group?
Throughout life we will engage with people who are both older and younger than we are, this might be in our family, our social environment, in school and eventually work.  Children in mixed-aged groups develop friendships and learn in the same way they would if they were in a single-aged group.

• Younger children have the opportunity to learn about more advanced problem-solving skills through observing older children at play, as well as other benefits including increased self-esteem, and self-confidence.
• For older children this type of learning environment allows children to develop mentoring and leadership skills, which will support them in their future learning.
• The number of 3-year-old and 4-year-old children in a mixed age group will vary depending on:
  • the number of kindergarten places in the service
  • family preferences during the registration and enrolment period.

Our dedicated educators will provide a high-quality program based on each child’s development and interests.

Early Start Kindergarten

Early Start Kindergarten (also known as ESK) ensures eligible children have priority of access to  kindergarten.

To be eligible for ESK, children must be 3 years old by 30 April in the year they start kindergarten, and either:

• Children whose families have been assisted by Child Protection or are in an Out-of-Home Care arrangement
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children
• Refugee and asylum seeker children who meet the special visa criteria

More information can be found at Early Start Kindergarten | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au)

From 2026, Children who accessed ESK for their 3-year-old program will be eligible for Pre-Prep hours, meaning they can access between 16 to 25 hours for their 4-year-old funded program.  The number of hours will vary from kindergarten to kindergarten.  For more information, please visit  Best Start, Best Life Reforms | City of Casey.

Free Kindergarten and Kindergarten Funding

Free Kindergarten
As part of the Victorian State Governments ongoing commitment to early years, and to ensure every child gets the best start in life, those starting kindergarten from 2023 will attend for free for both 3-year-old and 4-year-old programs.

See the flyer for more information:

• English Translated information
• Arabic
• Chinese traditional
• Chinese simplified
• Vietnamese  

Kindergarten Funding
The Victorian Government offers funding to approved services for families to access up to 15 hours of free kindergarten a week (16 to 25 hours for Pre Prep programs).  The funded programs must be approved by the Department of Education and be led by a qualified Early Childhood Teacher.

The funded kindergarten program is funded through the Department of Education and is separate from Child Care Subsidy (CCS), which is managed by Centrelink. Casey’s Council Managed kindergartens only run funded sessional kindergarten programs and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) does not apply.

What is a funded kindergarten program?
The Victorian Government provides funding to services to support children in accessing a high-quality kindergarten program in the two years before they start school.  

How many funded services can my child attend?
Your child can only be funded for a kindergarten place at one service at any one time. If your child moves services during their kindergarten year, the first service must cease claiming funding for the new service to access the funded program for your child.

Children will be able to access a total of one year of funded 3-year-old kindergarten and one year of funded 4-year-old kindergarten, unless your child is assessed as being eligible for an additional year of kindergarten by your child’s kindergarten teacher.