About Kindergarten

Going to kindergarten is an important step for your child. It will help them learn skills that they will build on throughout their life. At kindergarten your child will grow socially and emotionally. Their ability to think, use and recognise language and their fine motor skills will be developed through play, art, dance, music, movement and interacting with others. Most importantly, your child will be learning to become an effective learner as they develop and extend their communication skills, build their self-confidence, learn to be creative, and develop skills that assist them with reading, writing and mathematics.

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Children go to kindergarten in the year before school, usually when they are four years old. However, some services and centres also offer kindergarten programs for three-year-old children. 

You can enrol your child in a funded kindergarten program in a variety of settings, including children’s centres, long day care centres, community kindergartens, independent schools and a small number of government schools. A range of organisations manage these programs including local government, parent committees, community organisations, private operators, independent schools and some government schools.

• How kindergarten will benefit your child - describes the key benefits and ways kindergarten helps your child's development
• Early Start Kindergarten - information about the program offering free kindergarten to eligible three year old children
• Does My Child Need a Second Year of Kindergarten? - information about how your kindergarten can help assess if your child is ready to start school
  

 

More information

The following publications have further related information about kindergarten services:

• Starting Kindergarten - When is the right time? (PDF - 609Kb) - information to help you decide the right time for your child to start kindergarten
• Getting Started in Your Local Kindergarten (PDF - 1.1Mb) - this publication gives general information about what to expect at kindergarten
• Children's Services in Victoria (PDF - 519Kb) - a guide to the different types of services and the legislation and regulations around these
• Translated Resources - information about an interpreter service and a list of resources translated into languages other than English, including Chinese, Arabic, Somali, Punjabi and Vietnamese.