Kindergarten

Handy tips before you register:

• It is free for families to register using the Central Kindergarten Registration Scheme.
• You can register your child from January of the year they turn two years old - This applies to both three-and four-year-old kindergarten.
• Families are encouraged to register by June 30 the year before their child attends kindergarten, however registrations are open throughout the year and will still be processed after this date.
• When to start - Use the starting age calculator to enter your child's birth date to find out what year they can start Three- and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten

Submit a kindergarten registration

To submit a new registration:

• Go to the REGISTER button at the top of the page
• Select the kindergarten program you would like to register for and the year you wish to start.
• Select up to three kindergartens in order of preference
• Enter the following personal details
• Submit your registration

Next steps

• Your submission is added to the City of Ballarat registrations
• Next communication will be during our offer period which is August the year prior to starting kindergarten.

To update or change an existing registration:

• Contact Family and Children’s services on 5320 5720 or via email: kindergarten@ballarat.vic.gov.au

Download our fact sheet about kindergarten registrations.

Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) gives eligible children 15 hours of free or low-cost kindergarten a week for 2 years before starting school.

To be eligible, your child must be 3 by 30 April in the year they start kindergarten, and:

• From a refugee or asylum seeker background, or
• Identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or
• Your family has had contact with child protection.

Note: Children eligible for ESK are offered Priority of Access.

See the list of Ballarat's Kindergartens

MAP KEY:

• Red dots: kindergartens that are participants of the Central Kindergarten Registration Scheme.
  Submit a kindergarten registration 
• Purple dots: kindergartens that are not participants of the Central Kindergarten Registration Scheme. You will need to contact services individually and follow their registration process. 

Families are encouraged to contact one or more kindergartens to book a tour.

Kindergarten programs are fully funded by the Victorian Government, which is paid directly to the kindergarten. 

Victorian State Government funds Kindergarten Programs for children in both 3yo and 4yo Kindergarten, therefore children will receive up to 15 hours of FREE kindergarten.

Some long day care programs offer sessional kindergarten and others charge long day care fees. For specific costs, contact the provider directly.

The offer period commences August the year prior to starting kindergarten.

Selection criteria:
First priority is given to:

• Children eligible for ESK
• Children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in Out of Home Care
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children
• Asylum seeker and refugee children
• Children eligible for the Kindergarten Fee Subsidy
• Children with additional needs, defined as children who: need assistance to fully participate in kindergarten, need a combination of services which are individually planned, have an identified specific disability or developmental delay.

Other applications will be given offers based on the date the registration form was submitted.

Accepting your offer:

You must reply via email to accept or decline your offer by the due date

If the kindergarten placement offer is not accepted by the due date, the place may be forfeited. Attempts will be made to contact the family by phone and/or email. Late correspondence will not be accepted, and the position may be offered to another child.

Under the No Jab, No Play law, kindergartens must get an immunisation statement from parents showing their child:

• Is fully vaccinated for their age, or
• Is on a recognised catch-up schedule if they are behind with their vaccinations, or
• Has a medical reason not to be vaccinated. 

Under the No Jab, No Play law, if your child’s immunisation record is not up-to date your child cannot attend kindergarten.

Visit the Victorian Government's Child Immunisations for more information.

NOTE: For families experiencing vulnerability and/or disadvantage where a child’s immunisation is not up-to-date or the appropriate documentation has not been provided, the child may be able to be enrolled under the ‘No Jab, No Play’ grace period provisions. Please talk to your kindergarten teacher before enrolling.

You may be able to delay or defer your child starting kindergarten. It is recommended that children should complete at least one year of four-year-old kindergarten before starting school.

You are encouraged to think about when your child will start school and keep that in mind when deciding when your child will start kindergarten.

Families with children born between 21 December and 30 April can choose which year they begin at kindergarten. This means they can start when they have turned 3 in 3-year-old kindergarten or 4 in 3-year-old kindergarten. Children are eligible for one year of funded 3-year-old kindergarten only and then must move into 4-year-old kindergarten.

Please remember that children who are six years old or older must be enrolled at school. Visit Victorian Government's enrolment guidance to see school age requirements.

For more information about delaying or deferring your child's start to kindergarten, please chat with your preferred kindergarten or our Family and Children's Services team.

During the Four-Year-Old Kindergarten year, the early childhood teacher and the child's parents and/or guardians will work together to plan for the child's transition to school. Children attending a funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program are not eligible to access a second year of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.

A second year of funded Four-Year-Old Kindergarten may be considered when a child shows delays in learning and development outcome areas in the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, and when:

• The kindergarten program is deemed to be the most appropriate learning program
• The child will achieve better outcomes at kindergarten than if they go to school.

Visit the Victorian Government's Second year of funded Four-Year-Old Kindergarten for more information.

City of Ballarat manages the registration process for over 30 kindergartens within the local area to enable the placement of children into funded kindergarten programs in the two years before attending primary school.

This centralised system allows families to select up to three kindergarten preferences. 

Read our Central Kindergarten Registration Policy.

Find out more about kinders in Ballarat and the Central Kindergarten Registration Scheme. 

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact our Family and Children’s Services team:

• Phone: 5320 5720 
• Email: kindergarten@ballarat.vic.gov.au.