Four year old programs

Your child must turn four before the 30th April in the year your child is to attend Kindergarten. If your child is born in the months of January through to the 30th April, you have the choice of which year to enrol your child. If you are unsure when to send your child to kindergarten, talk to the Kindergarten Teacher at your preferred kindergarten.  

Families need to be aware that a second year of funded four year kindergarten needs to be approved by the Department and to be eligible the Educator needs to identify the child as having two areas of developmental delay.

Three year old programs

Your child is eligible for three year old kindergarten if they turn three before the 30th April.  Children must turn three before they can attend kindergarten. (It is recommended that children be three by the start of Term 1 in the year they are to attend Kindergarten).

Families need to be aware that there is no opportunity to defer your child's kindergarten place once they start kindergarten if they are not ready for kindergarten.

There is no opportunity for children to have a second year of funded three year old kindergarten and all children will proceed to four year old kindergarten.

There is a difference in the programs offered at each kindergarten. Each kindergarten is unique and each teacher offers his or her own program (within the Education Care Services National Regulations). Visiting the kindergarten provides parents/guardians with the opportunity to see each kindergarten, hear how each program is run, meet with Educators and ask any questions that you may have in order to make an informed decision about kindergarten.

In July each year Emerge runs Open Days and Information session at each kindergarten to assist families to make their decision.  There is virtual tours on each kindergarten service page on this website.  See our Emerge Information Booklet on the Enrolments page for further information.

You are encouraged to visit the kindergartens you are interested in having your child attend. Teachers have a duty of care to the children attending each session so please phone the kindergarten first to make an allocated time to ensure the educators are available to speak with you.

Universal Access is an Australian Government commitment to provide access to a quality preschool program for all children for 15 hours a week in the year before starting school. Currently all kindergartens are offering at least 15 hours of 4yo kindergarten per week.  

The Victorian Government have announced a committment, over the next decade, for the 4 year old kindergarten program to transition to 'Pre Prep' increasing to up to 30 hours of funded kindergarten a week.  In the Stawell  and Hindmarsh Shires this will commence in 2025 and in Horsham Rural City Council in 2026.

Kindergartens in the Northern Grampians Shire and Hindmarsh Shires also offer 15 hours of 3yo kindergarten per week. Horsham Rural City kindergartens commenced delivery of 5 hours of funded 3yo kindergarten in 2022.  Horsham Rural City kindergartens will offer 15 hours of funded 3yo kindergarten by 2029.

See service specific information for further details of hours of program delivered at each location.

If you want your child to attend your kindergarten of choice, you must register them as soon as possible, kindergarten offers are allocated based on priority of access criteria and one of these is on date of registration. The earlier you register your child, the greater chance you have of obtaining a place in the kindergarten of your choice. (see how are children matched with places)

An Enrolment Registration Form (click here) needs to be submitted to EMERGE to register your child. Once the registration form is received your child’s details will be placed on the Enrolment system. You will receive a letter or email confirming your kindergarten preference. Please check that all details are correct on the confirmation letter.

For 2026 places, you need to return your Enrolment registration form to EMERGE by  Friday, 1st August.

FIRST PRIORITY:

• Children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in out of home care.

The child/family is: 

• Attending a three year old kindergarten program through Early Start Kindergarten or Access to Early Learning, or is referred by:
• Known to Child Protection
• Known to Child & Family Services, Child FIRST/Integrated Family Services/ Services Connect Case worker
• Maternal & Child Health Nurse
• Out of Home Care

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children

• Asylum seeker and refugee children   

An appropriate visa identifies the child and/or parents as a refugee or asylum seeker

• Children eligible for the Kindergarten fees subsidy

A child or parent holds a Commonwealth Health Care Card, Pension Concession Card, Veteran's Affairs Card or multiple birth children (triplets, quadruplets)

• Children with additional needs, defined as children who:

require additional assistance in order to participate in the kindrgarten program, require a combination of services which are individually planned, have an identified specific disability or developmental delay

• Holds a child disability health care card
• Has previously been approved for Kindergarten Inclusion Support package, or referred by:
• The National Disability Insurance Scheme
• Early Childhood Intervention Service
• Preschool Field Officer, or
• Maternal & Child Health Nurse.

• The child is assessed as having delays in two or more areas and is declared eligible for a second funded year of kindrgarten

• Children who were eligible to attend kindergarten in the previous year but deferred prior to the April data collection (end of Term 1) after consultation with the kindergarten teacher.

These children will have priority at the kindergarten at which they are initially offered a place

Should parents wish their child to attend a different kindergarten the priority of place criteria will come into effect.

SECOND PRIORITY

Children who have a sibling that has previously attended the same kindergarten as their first preference

THIRD PRIORITY

Year before school children

Date of application

Changes can be made to your preferences at any time prior to the first round of offers being made without affecting your initial date of registration. 

For future years, changes to preferences can be made at anytime without affecting your original registration date. See Change of Details/Preference Form on the Enrolment page of this website.

All kindergarten offers are emailed out in August of the year prior to the kindergarten year. The letter of offer will be accompanied by an Enrolment Application Form. Completed application forms and immunisation history statements are to be returned to EEYS by the specified date to secure your child’s kindergarten place.

If you do not receive your first choice of kindergarten you can accept an offer of lower preference and be placed on a waiting list at your preferred kindergarten. Any vacancies that arise will be offered to children based on date of application until the end of September. After this date, waiting lists for individual kindergartens will not be held and any children remaining on a waiting list will be placed on a general waiting list. See Enrolment Timeline in the EEYS Information Booklet for further details on the Enrolment page.

If you decide not to send your child to kindergarten in the year in which you nominated, when you receive your kindergarten offer you need to choose to defer your child’s enrolment to the following year.  You will remain on the enrolment database to be offered a kindergarten place the following year based on your original registration date and in line with EMERGE’s priority of access.

If you have decided to defer your child to the following year before kindergarten offers are sent out please complete a change of preference form

Several closure dates are allocated for staff to undertake professional development and administarion duties.  You will be given adequate notice of these closure days.

In the case of staff illness, a kindergarten may be unavoidably closed should no suitably qualified relief staff be available at short notice. You may receive an SMS on any kindergarten day between 7.30am and 8.30am. Please have a backup plan in place should this occur.

Kindergartens may close up to two days each year for professional development, where possible a month notice will be given. Where possible kindergarten closures are kept to a minimum for each kindergarten program.