Kindergarten information: Early Years Services professionals

If your kindergarten is a participant of the Central Kindergarten Registration (CKR) scheme and you need to update your details, please send new details through to: kindergarten@ballarat.vic.gov.au

Please note: It is the responsibility of the kindergarten service providers to ensure their details are up to date.

The City of Ballarat’s (CoB) Central Kindergarten Registration (CKR) scheme is a centralised system, managed by the City of Ballarat. This initiative ensures that children and families have access to a fair, equitable and timely system for processing kindergarten registrations. This allows targeted assistance and engagement for families who are experiencing vulnerability and/or disadvantage during the registration process. The centralised system replaces need for families to make individual applications to multiple kindergartens in participating kindergarten services; it reduces the workload for kindergarten teachers and administrators in coordinating centre-based allocation processes.

Over 30 kindergartens currently participate in the CKR scheme. Find a kindergarten in Ballarat.

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 3 and 4-year-old kindergarten, therefore children will receive up to 15 hours of FREE kindergarten. 

For funded kindergarten in a long day care setting more information can be found at: 2025 Free Kinder funding requirements 

Children can be registered from the January of the year they turn 2 years old for both 3 and 4-year-old kindergarten.

Submit a kindergarten registration

Kindergarten registrations are open throughout the year. As registrations are prioritised in the order they are received, for families not eligible for Priority of Access, we like to encourage families to register as soon as they can. Families may be eligible for Priority of access for early childhood education.

Our friendly staff are available to provide secondary consults for professionals and work along side you to support all families with registering a child for kindergarten.

For more information about the Central Kindergarten Registration scheme, contact our Family and Children’s Admin team on 5320 5720 or email: kindergarten@ballarat.vic.gov.au

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

In 2026, between 16 and 25 hours of Pre-Prep will be available statewide for Victorian children who are eligible for Early Start Kindergarten.

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 for early childhood education.

At what age do children go to kindergarten?

In Victoria, children can start kindergarten at 3 years old, which means two years of kindergarten before school. Children must be 3 years old before 30 April in the year they attend kindergarten.

The age children start kindergarten relates to the age they will start primary school. When families are registering for their first year of kindergarten they need to plan and consider the age their child will be when starting school. This relates directly to children born between 21 December and 30 April.

For more information view or download our Kindergarten fact sheet for service providers

Can a family delay or defer a child starting kindergarten?

Under current funding, children who are deferred, after discussion between parent and educator, must be withdrawn from the program before the Government Data Collection counts the child as attending for the year. Which is at the end of the first term. The same criteria apply for both 3-and 4-year-old kindergarten programs. This allows access to a funded kindergarten position the following year.

It is a requirement by the department of education that children are enrolled in school by the age of 6 years old, unless a relevant exemption form has been completed.

For more information go to Enrolment: School age requirements and age exemptions

Families must reply via email to accept or decline the 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.

Kindergartens will be in contact with families with the enrolment paperwork.

Families will need to complete the enrolment paperwork and return to the kindergarten to be able to attend. Families will need to provide:

• Child’s birth certificate
• Immunisation record

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. 

For more information go to Victorian Government's Child Immunisations

Note: Under the Victorian Government No Jab, No Play legislation, a family 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 16-week grace period. 

For more information go to No Jab No Play for early childhood education and care services

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