Funded Kindergarten Program

Both our Kinder 3 and Kinder 4 programs operate a funded kindergarten program every day.

  • For 3-year-old kindergarten, children must attend a funded program for at least 15 hours per week in the year before their 4-year-old kindergarten year. At Glen Iris Childcare and Kindergarten, this can be achieved by enrolling for at least 2 full days each week.

  • For 4-year-old kindergarten, children must attend a funded program for at least 15 hours per week in the year before they start primary school. At Glen Iris Childcare and Kindergarten, this can also be achieved by attending at least 2 full days each week.

 

Learning Through Play

Our play-based program is interactive and exploratory, offering a rich variety of materials and equipment to engage children in meaningful, hands-on learning experiences. We place a strong emphasis on real-life play experiences, such as woodwork, threading, home corner, and dramatic play. These experiences help children develop vital skills as they make choices, share in decision-making, and engage in play that fosters their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth.

Children’s progress is monitored through participation in hands-on experiences and observational assessments, rather than worksheets or academically-driven routines. This allows us to better understand and support their individual development in a holistic, child-centered way.

We intentionally incorporate early literacy, numeracy, STEM, and creative arts experiences into our daily program, both through planned activities and spontaneous moments. While we don’t have specific “academic” times during the day, we believe children naturally acquire the necessary skills through play, with gentle, intentional teaching from our educators.

Both the indoor and outdoor environments are used throughout the day to encourage a balance of fine motor and gross motor development. Outdoor play, in particular, offers opportunities for more active physical activities such as running, skipping, balancing, and climbing, while also focusing on the importance of interacting with nature and caring for plants and animals.

3 & 4 Year Old Kindergarten Subsidy

Free Kinder is designed to support families by providing access to funded kindergarten programs. The program offers:

  • A free 15-hour program for four-year-old children enrolled at a sessional service.

  • A free 5-to-15-hour program for three-year-old children enrolled at a sessional service (subject to the length of the funded program offered).

  • A reduction in parent fees by offsetting the funded kindergarten program component for both three and four-year-old children enrolled at a childcare service.

What's Changing? 

The Best Start, Best Life Reform aims to help all Victorian children dream even bigger by providing increased access to high-quality early childhood education and care. A key component of this reform is Free Kinder, which will support access to two years of high-quality kindergarten programs for all Victorian children, completely free of charge.

From 2023 onwards, all early childhood education and care providers delivering a funded kindergarten program in Victoria are eligible to receive Free Kinder funding, provided they meet the specified terms and conditions. To participate and receive the funding, service providers must opt in to offer Free Kinder and agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the funding process.

 Child Eligibility

The Department of Education and Training will make Free Kinder payments directly to participating service providers, rather than to families. These payments will be processed through the Kindergarten Information Management System (KIMS) as regular payments, ensuring that participating services can offer a free kindergarten program.

It’s important to note that families can only access one funded kindergarten program at a time, in line with the standard kindergarten funding guidelines. As part of this process, parents or carers of all enrolled children will be required to sign a form (provided by the centre) to confirm that they are accessing their funded kindergarten program at the centre.