What you need to know
We’ve got your youngest family members covered.
Applying for kindergarten
Kindergarten applications for Council and participating community-managed centres are allocated through the Central Registration Service portal and allow families to indicate their preferences for several kindergartens at one time rather than applying to each individual facility. The portal is the quickest and preferred method of registration. Please use our Kindergarten age calculator to determine when your child can attend kindergarten based on their date of birth.
Four-year-old kindergarten
- Children who will turn four years of age on or before 30 April are eligible to register in a State Government-funded kindergarten program from term one.
- In Victoria, children cannot attend more than one State Government-funded kindergarten program at the same time.
- Children who turn four years of age on or after 1 May will be eligible to register in a four-year-old program in the following year.
Three-year-old kindergarten
- Children who turn three on or before 30 April are eligible to apply for three-year-old kindergarten.
- Children whose birth date is between 1 January and 30 April are eligible to start in a program once they have turned three years of age.
- Children who turn three years of age on or after 1 May will be eligible to register in a three-year-old program in the following year.
Documents needed to apply (pdf, word document, clear photos will be accepted)
- Child’s Birth certificate, Passport
- If you live in Moonee Valley a lease agreement, water, gas or electricity bill conforming you reside at your current residence issued within the last 3 months.
- If you do not live in Moonee Valley a current payslip, letter from your workplace, place of study, formal care provider confirming your link to the municipality
- Supporting documentation for a child’s additional needs
- Letterform support agency
Please see a list of Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Priority of Access
Central Registration provides a single point for families to apply for multiple kindergarten services within a local government area. The guidelines for Central Registration have been developed in partnership with the Department of Education and Training (DET) and the Municipal Association of Victoria.
- In delivering Central Registration, Council must ensure that all kindergarten places are allocated in line with the Department of Education and Training’s Priority of Access criteria, located within the Kindergarten Funding Guide.
The Priority of Access includes:
- Children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in Out-of-Home Care
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children
- Asylum seeker and refugee children
- Children eligible for the Kindergarten Fee Subsidy i.e. Commonwealth Health Care Card etc.
- Children with additional needs, defined as children who:
- Require additional assistance in order to fully participate in the kindergarten program
- Require a combination of services which are individually planned
- Have an identified specific disability or developmental delay.
The Kindergarten Funding Guide allows for the inclusion of local criteria to support the municipalities approach to kindergarten registrations. Council’s local criteria include the following:
- Funded Second Year Kindergarten
- Residency
- Proximity to first preference
- Sibling attending the same year
- Past association with service (3yrs)
Moonee Valley City Council will ensure that all applications are processed in accordance with Council’s enrolment procedures, including DET’s Priority of Access criteria, and Council’s own local criteria.
For further information relating to Council’s application of the Priority of Access, please see the Central Registration Handbook.
Kinder Tick
From March 2021 the Victorian Government has a new symbol to help Victorian families find quality kindergarten programs called the Kinder Tick. The symbol will be displayed at the kindergarten or early childhood service building’s entrance and website to signal to families that their child will be taking part in a play-based learning program that:
- is evidence-based
- led by a qualified teacher
- is funded and approved by the Victorian Government
- complies with the National Quality Framework.
Kindergarten age calculator
Children usually attend a four-year-old kindergarten program in the year before they start primary school.
- Your child can start school if they turn five years old by 30 April of the year they start primary school.
- Your child must be enrolled in primary school by the age of six unless they have an exemption.
- If your child's birthday falls between 1 January and 30 April, you have a choice whether they start primary school the year they turn 5 or 6. If they start the year they turn 5, they may be younger than many other children in their class. Therefore, this means you have a choice about when your child starts kindergarten.
- When trying to decide what age to send your child to kindergarten, it is recommended to work backwards from the age you wish them to attend primary school, the year before would be four-year-old kindergarten and the year before that three-year-old kindergarten.
The dates in this calculator only apply to kindergartens in the Moonee Valley Central Registration Scheme administered by Council. For more information email kinderenrol@mvcc.vic.gov.au or call 9243 8888. For all other kindergartens, contact them directly.
In Victoria, children cannot attend more than one State Government-funded kindergarten program at the same time.
Date is not stored beyond this session
Calculate when your child can attend kindergarten based on their date of birth.
Kindergarten options
Calculated for a child born on
| Year | Age at January | Kindergarten program |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years and 1 months | 3-year-old | |
| 4 years and 1 months | 4-year-old | |
| 5 years and 1 months | 5-year-old |
Your child is eligible to start 3-year-old kindergarten this year or wait until next year. Attending 3-year-old kindergarten is optional but research has shown it supports better learning outcomes.
If they start 3-year-old kindergarten this year they will be when they start school in . This may make them younger than many of their peers.
Your child is eligible to start 3-year-old kindergarten this year. Attending 3-year-old kindergarten is optional but research has shown it supports better learning outcomes.
Your child will be when they start school in . .
Your child is eligible to start 3-year-old or 4-year-old kindergarten this year. Attending two years of kindergarten is optional but research has shown it supports better learning outcomes.
Your child is eligible to start 4-year-old kindergarten this year. Attending 4-year-old kindergarten is recommended as research shows it supports better learning outcomes.
If they start 4-year-old kindergarten this year they will be when they start school in . This may make them younger than many of their peers.
Your child is eligible to start 4-year-old kindergarten or school this year. Attending 4-year-old kindergarten is recommended as research has shown it supports better learning outcomes.
If they start school this year they will be when they start school in . This may make them younger than many of their peers.
Kindergarten virtual tours
Due to COVID-19, kindergartens are unable to accept visitors to the services.
Visit our kindergartens through a range of video tours and 360-degree images.
Useful information to some frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) about attending kindergarten.
Kindergarten Information for prospective families
Apply for 2022 kindergarten
Application forms, timetables and the parent portal will be available for 2022 applications from the application dates below.
To support the introduction of funded three-year-old kindergarten, Council are delivering mixed three-year-old and four-year-old sessions at some kindergartens. Please check the timetable for further information.
Council's online Central Registration portal is the quickest and preferred method for applying.
4-Year-Old Kindergarten:
- Application period: 1 March to 31 May 2021
- First Round offers made: by 30 July 2021
- Applications and changes received after 31 May will be included in subsequent allocation rounds, with a higher priority (or weighting) given to applications received by the end of the application period.
3-Year-Old Kindergarten:
- Applications period: 1 June to 30 July 2021
- First Round offers made: by 30 September 2021
- Applications and changes received after 30 July will be included in subsequent allocation rounds, with a higher priority (or weighting) given to applications received by the end of the application period.
Rounds for both 3-year-old and 4-year-old kindergarten will continue to be run on a monthly basis after the initial rounds.
With funding being made available for three-year-old kindergarten, children will only be eligible for one year of funded three-year-old kindergarten from 2022.
Unfunded applications for three or four-year-old kindergarten will not be accepted.
A non-refundable application fee is payable with each kindergarten year application. If completing an application form (below) you can pay the non-refundable application fee online or in person at Council offices. If applying through the parent portal the application fee will be paid in the portal.
Please be aware, that while we endeavour to meet the needs of as many families as possible, families cannot be guaranteed a place in the kindergarten/s and or group of your choice.
The majority of our places are allocated in round 1 and the following rounds will only include places that are available at that time.
If families elect only one or two preferences you may significantly reduce your chance of receiving a kindergarten offer.
See also:
- 2022 proposed four-year-old timetable
- 2022 four-year-old kindergarten application form
- 2022 Central Registration Handbook
Eligible families attending a four-year-old kindergarten program or 5 hour three-year-old program will not be required to pay fees. Families attending a three-year-old service for more than 5 hours will be required to pay a gap fee as these sessions will not attract full funding from DET.
Kindergarten fees for 2022
Parents seeking fee information for Committee based and BPA Children's Services are encouraged to contact the respective services directly.
The Victorian Government is rolling out funding for 3-year-old kindergarten to make fees lower for parents. Five hours of funded 3-year-old-kindergarten is set to commence in Moonee Valley in 2022. The hours will then increase to 15 hours a week by 2029.
Find out more about the Victorian Government's plan for 3-year-old kindergarten and the types of kindergarten programs.
Further information regarding 2022 sessional kindergarten fees will be made available once the 2021/2020 Council Budget has been adopted.
Apply for 2021 kindergarten
New applications and changes to applications are still being accepted and processed for three-year-old and four-year-old sessional kindergarten.
Council's online Central Registration portal is the quickest and preferred method for applying.
Please note, we have seen an increase in the number of applications received across the municipality, and as a result, we have fewer vacancies than in previous years. All vacancies will be offered through the monthly allocation process. If there are no vacancies at any of your preferences your child will remain on a waiting list. You will continue to be kept informed of the status of your application, and notified of any vacancies you may wish to consider in the future rounds.
If applying through the portal you will be required to upload electronic documents and pay the non-refundable $41.50 application fee (if applicable).
If completing an application form (below) you can pay the non-refundable application fee online or in person at Council offices.
See also:
- 2021 proposed four-year-old kindergarten timetable
- 2021 four-year-old kindergarten application form
- 2021 four-year-old Central Registration handbook
- 2021 proposed three-year-old timetable
- 2021 three-year-old kindergarten application form
- 2021 three-year-old Central Registration handbook
- 2021 Kindergarten parent information handbook
Kindergarten fees for 2021
Parents seeking fee information for Committee based and BPA Children's Services are encouraged to contact the respective services directly.
| 4 yr old group | 15 | $0 | $0 |
| 3 yr old group | 4 | $424 | $106 |
| 3 yr old group | 5 | $541 | $135.25 |
| 3 yr old group | 10 | $2682 | $670.50 |
Families can opt in to pay their 3-year-old fees in a one-off annual payment or spread across 4 payments during the year.
2021 fees payment due dates:
Term 1: Thursday, 18 February 2021
Term 2: Thursday, 1 April 2021
Term 3: Thursday, 17 June 2021
Term 4: Thursday, 16 September 2021
* Debit Success also applies the following transaction fees:
- one-off admin fee ($2.20)
- per transaction fee: credit card (1.87%), direct debit ($0.88), Amex (4.4%)
- dishonour payment ($14.80)
Integrated kindergarten
The following Council long daycare services offer an integrated kindergarten program that gives families access to high-quality kindergarten and long day care all under one roof.
- Flemington Street Children’s Centre
- Milleara Integrated Learning and Development Centre for Children (MILD)
- Montgomery Park Children’s Centre
Integrated programs are taught by university-qualified preschool teachers and are delivered from Monday to Friday for 7.5 hours a day during school terms. During school holidays the program continues to be delivered by diploma-qualified educators.
Early start kindergarten
Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) provides free kindergarten to eligible three-year-old children. Moonee Valley may also be able to offer eligible children a place in a four-year-old program.
Children are eligible for ESK if they are aged three by 30 April in the year they will be attending a kindergarten program, and;
- The child is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander; or
- The child is known to Child Protection
- Refugee or Asylum Seeker children (visa’s 200-204, 449, 758, 786, 790, 866)
To find out more and to watch a video on the benefits of Early Start Kindergarten visit Victoria Government - Types of Kindergarten Programs and contact the Central Registration Team for more information via kinderenrol@mvcc.vic.gov.au or call 9243 8888.