At School 5-18

Pre-School

A range of services are available for children before they go to primary school. In Victoria, more than 160,000 children, from the ages of 0-6, use these services. The responsibility for overseeing these services has recently been incorporated into the Department.

The Department now supports the health, development and learning of Victoria’s young children including kindergartens and children’s centres, maternal and child health, parenting services and early childhood intervention services.

Types of services available

Back to Top

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is a one-year education program in the year before school, primarily for children aged four years. Kindergarten is offered in a range of settings, including purpose-built kindergartens, community-based and private child care centres, community halls and schools.

Parents or carers enrolling their child in kindergarten will need to provide the following information:

In some cases, a child attending kindergarten may be assessed by the early childhood teacher to be eligible for a second year of funded kindergarten. When this occurs, the child may turn six years of age (compulsory school age) while attending the second year of funded kindergarten and therefore must be exempted from attending school by the Department. The parent/guardians are responsible for seeking this exemption. For more information, see: Children of School Age Attending a Kindergarten Program - School Exemption Process.

For more information about kindergartens, contact your local kindergarten service or the Department's Office for Children and Early Childhood Development (http://www.office-for-children.vic.gov.au).

Back to Top

Child care centres

Child care is provided for 0-6 year olds usually by a mix of qualified and other staff. Education and care programs are based on the developmental needs, interests and experience of each child. Centres typically operate for at least 8 hours a day on normal working days for a minimum of 48 weeks per year.

Back to Top

Family day care

Family day care is provided for 0-5 year olds in the carer's own home. Coordination units mostly located within local councils, support the network of carers.

Back to Top

Playgroup

Playgroup is for children aged 0-4 years and their parents or carers. About 36,000 families attend playgroup each week in Victoria, at community venues such as maternal and child health centres, kindergartens, halls, community centres and primary schools.

For more information, see: Playgroup Victoria (http://www.playgroup.org.au/Location/join-a-playgroup.asp)

Back to Top

Maternal and Child Health

Maternal and child health services are free for all Victorian families with children aged 0 to 6 years. It offers support, information and advice regarding parenting, child health and development, child behaviour, maternal health and well-being, child saftey, immunisation, breastfeeding, nutrition and family planning. Parents can also join groups that provide an opportunity to meet other parents in the local area.

All Maternal and Child Health centres are staff by registered nurses with qualifications in midwifery and family and child health and have the knowledge and experience to deal with family health issues and concerns.

Back to Top

Early Childhood Intervention Services

The Early Childhood Intervention Services supports children with a disability or developmental delay from birth to school entry. This service provides support to the families of these children along with providing special education, therapy, counseling, service planning and coordination, assistance and support to access services such as kindergarten and child care.

Services are tailored to meet the individual needs of the child and are focused on supporting the child in their natural environments, in their everyday experiences and activities.

More information

For more information, call the Child Care Access Hotline 1800 670 305.

For information about Child Care Benefit and Family Assistance, contact Centrelink (http://www.centrelink.gov.au)