Operational policies supporting the Best Start, Best Life reforms

Exceptions to the flexible hours approach can be granted if:

• it is not feasible for the service provider to make program modelling adjustments to maintain or increase the number of places offered; and
• either:
  • there is sufficient capacity to accommodate children in funded kindergarten places at other local services; or
  • where there is not sufficient capacity at other services, it is not feasible to reduce the number of planned program hours so that the number of three-or four-year-old places offered is equal to more than 2024 enrolments; and
• the service has sufficient existing staff to deliver any planned increase in program hours, including through relying on alternative funding arrangements; and
• any Early Start Kindergarten or Access to Early Learning funded children can access 15 hours of funded kindergarten and the Department’s Priority of Access guidelines are applied.

If you are considering seeking an exception, you should discuss it with your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch(opens in a new window)(opens in a new window) as early as possible.

The Department will consider exceptions on a case‑by‑case basis.

Many services will not be affected by this requirement.

If offering more than your 2024 Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program hours does not reduce the number of enrolments in both your Three-Year-Old and Four-Year-Old Kinder programs, you do not need an exception to increase your hours.

You can use the diagram below to help understand whether an exception is required for your service or whether there are other options that would allow for places offered to be maintained while hours are increased.

The gradual transition to Pre-Prep is intentional. It allows time for the sector to grow the required workforce and necessary infrastructure.

The Best Start, Best Life reforms mean that existing services will, over time, generally enrol fewer children for more funded kindergarten hours. To support Victorian children to access and participate in Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and Pre-Prep, more services will open across the state to meet future demand

While the sector continues to grow the required workforce and necessary infrastructure, the department will closely monitor the delivery of kindergarten across the state to identify any areas where there is a risk that children may not be able to access a funded kindergarten place.

Prior notification required to reduce 4-year-old enrolments

Services are encouraged to consider how Pre-Prep can be delivered while maintaining the number of 3- and 4-year-old enrolments at the service. This may mean implementing program modelling changes. The most suitable model for delivering Pre-Prep at your service will depend on the needs of your community, and preferences about how kindergarten programs are delivered.

If, after considering program modelling changes, your service is proposing to reduce 4-year-old enrolments to accommodate Pre-Prep you must notify the department. This includes services reducing 4-year-old places offered to deliver Pre-Prep hours for the first time and those reducing 4-year-old places offered to increase Pre-Prep program hours delivered.

This notification requirement will help us effectively monitor reform implementation across the State.

Service providers will be informed when a risk emerges that children in a service’s local area may not be able to access a funded Pre-Prep place. In these circumstances, the department will work with services in that local area to increase the number of enrolments, which may include developing options for new or expanded facilities, and reducing program hours in the interim if required.

The process and timeline for notifying the department of an intention to reduce 4-year-old places offered will be made available in due course. Services should contact their local Early Childhood Improvement Branch for advice about notification.

The department’s priority of access criteria(opens in a new window) requires service providers to prioritise funded kindergarten places to specified cohorts of children. This helps to support children experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage access a kindergarten place.

The department’s priority of access criteria, as amended from time to time, will continue to apply to the allocation of funded kindergarten places to 3- and 4-year-old children.

In Pre-Prep roll-out LGAs, children residing in the LGA and children residing outside the LGA whose closest service is located within the LGA will be prioritised for a place over other children from outside the LGA. Where there are places available after these children are placed in a program, children from outside the rollout LGA can be allocated a place. The department will work closely with you to support children who live outside of a rollout area, but whose ‘local’ service is in the rollout area, to enrol in a funded Pre-Prep program.

As under current policy, once all children have been accommodated in accordance with the priority of access criteria, local criteria can be applied to prioritise children such as those enrolled from a previous year, those with a sibling in the service, and/or those living closest to the service.

As Three-Year-Old Kindergarten has been rolled out across Victoria, services have had flexibility to determine how many hours they deliver per week, between a minimum of 5 hours and 15 hours. Service providers in Pre-Prep rollout LGAs can commence offering Pre-Prep before they offer a 15-hour-per-week Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program. However, to continue our progress towards 15 hours per week of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten statewide by 2029, there are some additional requirements that apply to the rollout of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.

Prior approval required to reduce Three-Year-Old Kindergarten hours or enrolments

Service providers cannot reduce Three-Year-Old Kindergarten hours or enrolments to accommodate Pre-Prep or increase Pre-Prep program hours, without seeking prior approval from the department.

In addition, the Three-year-Old Kindergarten flexible hours policy, as amended from time to time, will continue to apply to services across Victoria. This policy requires services to seek prior approval from the department when they are proposing to lower 3-or 4-year-old places to increase Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program hours.

Further information about the process for seeking approval from the department will be made available.

Currently, 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; and
• the child will achieve better outcomes at kindergarten than if they go to school.

As Pre-Prep is rolled out, and program hours for 4-year-old children gradually increase, a second year of funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten may better support a child’s learning and development than a second year of funded Pre-Prep.

From 2026, across Victoria, children can access an additional year of either:

• Three-year-Old Kindergarten; or
• Pre-Prep (or Four-Year-Old Kindergarten for children not eligible for Pre-Prep),

but not both, provided they meet the applicable eligibility requirements. That is, eligible children can access up to three years of funded kindergarten in Victoria.

The current information for early childhood education professionals on how to determine if a child is eligible for a second year of funded Four-Year-Old Kindergarten(opens in a new window) will be updated to reflect the availability of an additional year of either Three-Year-Old Kindergarten or Pre-Prep by mid-2025.