Kindergarten

About kindergarten

Kindergarten (also called preschool) is an educational program for children delivered by qualified early childhood teachers. It's delivered in the two years before children start school.

Some kindergartens run as a stand-alone service. Others are run through childcare centres or are co-located on school sites.

Three and four-year-old kindergarten is subsidised by the Victorian State Government. This means it is free for all children to attend.

Apply for kindergarten

  • Applications for all kindergartens open on 1 February each year, one year before three-year-old program attendance and two years before four-year-old kindergarten attendance.
  • Apply by 30 June in the year before your child attends kindergarten to be considered in the first round offers. Any applications received after this date will be accepted and processed later in the year.

Find information on how to apply for kindergarten

Kindergarten application help sessions

Help sessions are available for families who need support completing their kindergarten applications.

See kindergarten application help sessions for more information

Kindergarten timetables

For information on the session times and schedules for your local kindergarten, please see the kindergarten timetables page below.

Kindergarten timetables

Free kindergarten for all children

The Victorian State Government announced that from 2023 kindergarten will be free for all three and four year old children. From 1 February 2024 it is free to apply for kindergarten at City of Whittlesea kindergartens, subject to change.

We're working with kindergarten providers to cater for your family’s needs and manage capacity across our centres. This means three-year-old kindergarten hours will vary at different kindergartens, providing families with between five and 15 hours each week.

Early Start Kindergarten

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

To be eligible, your child must be have turned three by 30 April in the year they start kindergarten. In addition:

For more information on Early Start Kindergarten, visit the Victorian Government website.

Kindergarten management 

Our kindergartens are managed by one of the following:

  • Volunteer parent committees
  • Schools
  • Professional early childhood organisations.

Management bodies are registered with the Department of Education and monitored regularly to ensure quality and standards are maintained and funding conditions are met.

Our role is to:

  • maintain Council facilities in which kindergarten programs are run
  • manage a central application system for kindergartens in Council facilities
  • support early childhood educators with professional development and service planning.

For more information on the management of local kindergartens, view our Kindergarten Central Application Scheme Policy and Procedures.(PDF, 344KB)

When to start attending

   Three-year-old kindergarten  Four-year-old kindergarten 
Date of birth range  Year of attendance   Year of attendance  Applications open 
1 May 2020 – 30 April 2021   N/A  2025  Now
1 May 2021 – 30 April 2022   2025  2026  Now
1 May 2022 – 30 April 2023  2026  2027  1 February 2025
1 May 2023 – 30 April 2024  2027  2028  1 February 2026

Important dates

  • Applications for all kindergartens open on 1 February each year. This is one year before three-year-old kindergarten attendance and two years before four-year-old kindergarten attendance.
  • Apply by 30 June in the year before your child attends kindergarten to be considered in the first round offers. Any applications received after this date will be accepted and processed later in the year.
  • Kindergarten placement offers are made via email or mail starting in the months of July and August in the year before your child is due to attend.

Apply for kindergarten

Choosing a kindergarten

We manage the central application process for sessional kindergarten programs in the City of Whittlesea. This includes three and four-year-old programs at 44 kindergartens across the Council area.

Kindergartens by suburb 

View details on kindergartens by suburb below.

Alternatively, you can see the location of local kindergartens via our interactive map or visit the Find A Kinder website and enter your location.

Placement offers

Information about kindergarten in your language

If you speak a language other than English and need help understanding information about kindergarten, you can:

For further information contact the Kindergarten Team on 03 9217 2170 or email our Multicultural Outreach Team at fet@whittlesea.vic.gov.au