Kindergarten sorted
Published on 06 April 2022
Following the Victorian Government’s Kindergarten Reform, funded three-year-old kindergarten is now available, with applications for 2023 enrolment open until 30 June 2022.
The Kindergarten Reform is an investment of over $5 billion from the Victorian Government. This initiative has been progressively rolled out across Victoria and is now available in all government areas, including Maroondah.
Every Maroondah three-year-old is eligible for a minimum of five hours per week of funded kindergarten, with some services providing up to 15 hours of funded kindergarten per week from 2023.
Program lengths, timetables and fees across services will vary as all kindergartens progressively scale their offering to 15 funded hours per week by 2029.
Cr Mike Symon, Mayor of Maroondah, said the introduction of funded three-year-old kindergarten means that now more children can benefit from two years of early learning prior to school.
“Kindergarten is an important stage of a child’s social and emotional development, with research showing that two years of kinder leads to better long-term outcomes for children both academically and socially,” Cr Symon said.
“The reform is the largest social, economic and educational reform in early childhood education in Victoria’s history, and we are the first state or territory in Australia to introduce funded kindergarten for all eligible children, which is great news for Maroondah families,” he said.
Maroondah City Council is committed to supporting the community in accessing quality education and continues to work in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET), the Maroondah Incorporated Kindergarten Association (MIKA), Committees of Management, Early Years Management, Long Day Care providers and educators to ensure the Reform is successful and every child in Maroondah has access to a quality early childhood education program.
About funded kindergarten programs
There are over 60 kindergarten programs in Maroondah which are located in standalone community kindergartens, long day-care services and schools.
The Victorian Government’s Find a Kinder Program website provides information to help families find kindergarten services in your community. Kindergartens that have the Victorian Government’s ‘Kindergarten Tick’ are approved, funded kindergartens.
For stand-alone kindergartens, Maroondah Integrated Kindergartens Association (MIKA) is a central, non-profit community-based Association of 21 standalone kindergartens in Maroondah.
The application process for both three and four-year-old kindergarten through MIKA commences on 1 March each year, with the release of the new application information and online forms. Applications are accepted one year prior to attendance.
Kindergarten programs in Maroondah that are not part of the MIKA central enrolment system manage their own enrolments and may have different enrolment dates. To enrol in these kindergartens, please contact the kindergarten directly.
Finding a kindergarten in Maroondah
You can find a list of kindergartens in Maroondah and their contact details in the Maroondah Community Directory. If you live in Maroondah, the ‘My Maroondah’ interactive map can show you the kindergarten services closest to you.
To find out more about the changes to funded kindergarten programs and to make the best choice for your child, visit the Department of Education and Training.
Find out more information on Kindergartens in Maroondah
Other funded kindergarten programs
- Early Start Kindergarten is available for children from a refugee or asylum seeker background, who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or if your family has had contact with child protection. Eligible children can access 15 hours of free or low-cost Kindergarten for two years before starting school.
- Koorie Kids Shine is available for Aboriginal children aged three and four, who can access 15 hours of free Kindergarten per week.
Further information