🏦 Child Care Subsidy
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      Free Kinder Policy

      This policy will provide clear guidelines for:

      • Free kindergarten funding for funded long day Care Kindergarten programs

      Scope

      • This policy applies to the approved provider, persons with management or control, nominated supervisor, persons in day-to-day charge, early childhood teachers, educators, staff, parents/guardians attending Woodlands Long day Care and Kindergarten.

       

      Values 

      Woodlands is committed to:

      • Supporting the Victorian Government’s 2023 Free Kindergarten initiative. 
      • Increasing access to quality Kindergarten programs for all Victorian children. 
      • Ensuring there are no financial barriers for families wishing to access an early childhood program for their child/children. 
      • Maintaining confidentially in relation to financial circumstances of parents/guardians if they are needing support.
      • Support and accept children into our Kindergarten programs with additional needs, defined as children who:
        - Require additional assistance in order to fully participate in the kindergarten program.
        - Require a combination of external services which are individually planned 
        - Have an identified specific disability or developmental delay.
        - Are requiring additional support through ESK, KIS, ISS and 2nd yr of Kindergarten.

        
      2nd YO Kinder- This if for children who. During four-year-old kindergarten, your early childhood teacher will assess your child, plan for their move to school and identify any developmental areas that may need particular attention. 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. 

      2nd YO Kinder additional information:
      https://www.vic.gov.au/does-my-child-need-second-year-kindergarten 

      https://www.vic.gov.au/second-year-funded-four-year-old-kindergarten 

       

      Background and legislation

      From 2023, the Victorian Government is making kindergarten programs free for three and four-year-old children. Free Kinder is a critical component of the Victorian Government’s Best Start, Best Life reform.

      The Best Start, Best Life reform will help all Victorian children dream even bigger through increased access to quality early childhood education and care. A critical part of the reform is Free Kindergarten, which will support access to two years of high-quality kindergarten programs for all Victorian children. All families with a child enrolled in a funded kindergarten program are eligible for Free Kindergarten, this includes both 3 and 4- year-old kindergarten programs.

      Free Kindergarten supports families to access a funded kindergarten program by:

      • providing a free 15-hour program to four-year-old children enrolled at a sessional service
      • providing a free 15-hour program to three-year-old children enrolled at a sessional service.
      • offsetting the funded kindergarten program component of parent fees for three and four-year-old children enrolled at a long day care service

      Free kindergarten supports every Victorian child to get the best start in life no matter where they live. Research shows that play-based learning is a powerful way to support children’s learning and development. Two years of early learning is a crucial part of their educational journey, these benefits last into the school years and beyond.

       

      Legislation and standards

      Relevant legislation and standards include but are not limited to:

      •  Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities 2006 (Vic)
      •   Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (Vic)
      •  Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
      •  Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010
      •  Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011: Regulation 168(2)(n)
      • Equal Opportunity Act 1995 (Vic)
      • National Quality Standard, including Quality Area 7: Governance and Leadership

       

      Kinder Tick.

      Woodlands is a private long day care however is government approved for its 3- and 4-year-old Kindergarten programs. So, what this means is that the kindergarten programs are:

      • Lead by Bachelor qualified Kinder teachers.
      • That children will benefit from a play-based learning program that is created by the Teacher, alongside the other Educators and children in the room, this will be reflected on to ensure the children are challenged and learning is inclusive. 
      • The program is funded. 
      • The Kinder Tick shows we meet criteria set out by the Victorian Government — which means your child’s learning and development will be supported by qualified early childhood teachers and educators through a responsive, evidence-based learning program.
      • The children Learning through the Emerging planning 
      • A VIT Teacher will be on the floor for the Kinder program that runs from 9am-4pm (this has taken into account rest periods). 
      • The children will receive a quality kinder program that ensures children's needs, interests, and goals are met. 

      What does Free Kindergarten mean at Woodlands?

      Woodlands has opted into the Free Kindergarten initiative:

      • 15 hours of free 3-year-old kindergarten
      • 15 hours of free 4-year-old kindergarten.
      • Victorian children who turn 3 years old by 30th April are eligible for the 3-year-old Free Kinder.
      • Victorian children who turn 4 years old by 30th April are eligible for the 4-year-old Free Kinder.

      Hours of Kinder programs:

      Monday through to Friday- 8.30am until 4pm. 

      Kindergarten Enrolment form

      The Woodlands ‘Kindergarten Enrolment Form’ will need to be completed for the service to be able to apply for a child’s free kindergarten funding.

      The Kindergarten Enrolment form will be sent to you:

      • During orientation IF your child is eligible for 3- or 4-year-old Kindergarten
      • When your child transitions into a 3- or 4-year-old Kindergarten program

      Woodlands will provide reminders to families in regard to when the Kindergarten Enrolment will need to be completed by. If the Kindergarten enrolment form is completed after Annual confirmation, families will be on a Pro rata basis and will not receive the full amount of free Kindergarten payments.

       

       When can my child start Kindergarten?

      Families with children born between January and April can choose which year to start their first year of kindergarten (3-year-old children). These children can start in the same year they turn three, or in the year they turn four years of age. Due to staff requirements, children can only start attending at kindergarten after their third birthday. 

      If this is the case for your child and you accept a place, kindergartens will hold your child’s place until they are old enough to start attending, from their 3rd birthday.

      Our Kindergarten staff will discuss with you directly about how they can support your child to join their program once they turn three.

      When your child starts at kindergarten directly relates to the age they will start at primary school. When enrolling in their first year of kindergarten, we encourage families to plan and consider the age they would like their child to start at primary school.

      Use the calculator on vic.gov.au/kinder and enter your child's birthdate to find out what year your child can start their first year of kindergarten.

       

      Why are Kinder programs are important?

      Research shows that play-based learning is a powerful way to support children’s development. These benefits last into the school years and beyond. The evidence also shows that two years are better than one when it comes to early learning.

      A quality kindergarten program will have more of an impact for children who start at age three than those who start at four. Learning programs led by teachers are even more important for children who are in vulnerable circumstances.

       

      What are the benefits for families?

      • Improved life outcomes for children - research shows that children who accessed two years of kindergarten had better schooling and developmental outcomes.
      • Improved flexibility and opportunity for parents and caregivers to balance work and care commitments. 
      • Improved financial savings for parents.
      • Improved social outcomes for issues that arise from learning difficulties. 

       

      How will I receive my free Kinder payments?

      The Victorian Government provides Free Kinder funding directly to the service providers (our centres), not directly to families.

      For Long day care centres, the Victorian Government will provide Free Kinder payments. However, most families will still pay some fees, depending on how many days a child attends and any Commonwealth Childcare Subsidy entitlements. 

       

      Invoicing.

       Woodlands will:

      • Apply standard fees across the service for all kindergarten-age enrolments (three- and four-year-old) to ensure that children enrolled in a kindergarten program are not charged higher fees in comparison to children that are not attracting kindergarten funding.
      • Divide the annual amount of Kinder funding into the 4 terms,(amount may change annually). This will be put onto your Woodlands fees, not into your bank account. You will still have a 'gap' fee. 
      • From the fees of parents with children receiving their funded kindergarten program at the centre (service providers are not required to separately calculate and record the cost of the kindergarten hours separately for integrated programs)
      • Dividing the termly amount by the number of weeks in a term and applying a re-occurring weekly fee offset and clearly indicate the offset amount (labelled Victorian Government Free Kinder offset) on parent invoice statements.

      Attending multiple services.

      Woodlands understands that some children attend both long day care at Woodlands and Sessional/standalone Kindergarten.

      Families can only receive Free Kinder Funding for one service at any one time. If a child attends multiple services that offer a Victorian Government funded free Kindergarten program, families must specify the service they wish to claim the funding.

      Families can receive funding for one year in a three-year-old kindergarten program and one year in a four-year-old Kindergarten Program.

       

      FAQ section: It has been advertised as 'Free kinder'. Why do I still have to pay fees?

      The government has introduced the “Free Kinder” program to improve access and affordability of registered kindergarten programs through a subsidy for families.

      In a long day care setting, our educators and teachers provide a full day of education and care with an integrated kindergarten program. These extended services and hours incur additional operational costs which a standalone kindergarten program, which only operates for selected times and days, would not incur.

      Due to these additional operational costs and the broader service provided, families enrolled in the kindergarten program from 2023 will still need to pay some gap fees. Fees will certainly be reduced for eligible children, when compared to current fees and fees of ineligible children.

       

      Can my child complete a second year of funded kindergarten?

      If a child is currently enrolled in a funded 3-year-old kindergarten program, that child cannot attend another 3-year-old funded kindergarten program. A second year of 3-year-old kindergarten is not recommended. 

      All children in a 3-year-old kindergarten program will move onto a 4-year-old kindergarten program the following year. A second year of funded 4-year-old kindergarten will be considered when a child shows delays in key areas of learning and development. This is determined through an assessment by your Childs Early childhood teacher. 

       

      Additional information regarding Kinder funding.

      ESK- Early start Kinder - Families will confirm their acceptance of funding upon enrolment and further information will be provided on this.

      If your child is attending more than one service, you will need to nominate which service you would like to accept funding for, and a signed nomination form will be completed upon enrolment.
      KIS- Kindergarten Inclusion Support- Offered to children who have Woodlands as their kinder funded provider. 
      ISS- Inclusion Support Subsidy- Offered to children all children who attend, available for all age groups.  This can be used to fill in the hours that KIS approval can not fill.

       

      Related guides:

       

      Sources: 

      Policy updated: 27th Feb 2025 Whole policy Review date: 10th Oct 2025.