Every 3- and 4-year-old in Victoria can now attend 15 hours of Free Kinder, saving families up to $2,627 per child and creating thousands of new places.
Who gets free kindergarten?
Victoria's Free Kinder program delivers universal access to early childhood education for all 3- and 4-year-olds at participating sessional kindergartens and long-day-care services, regardless of family income or circumstances. This landmark policy removes financial barriers that have historically prevented some children from accessing quality early learning experiences.
The program provides 15 funded hours per week for 3-year-olds, with selected rural local government areas receiving 25 hours through the Pre-Prep pilot program. Families can combine their free hours across multiple approved services but only up to the total funded allocation, ensuring flexibility while maintaining cost controls.
Free Kinder Program
Participating services and coverage
Both traditional sessional kindergartens and long-day-care centres with qualified kindergarten programs participate in Free Kinder, ensuring families have choice in how they access early childhood education. Services must meet strict quality standards and employ degree-qualified early childhood teachers to deliver the kindergarten curriculum.
- Sessional kindergartens: Traditional community and council-run services offering dedicated kinder programs
- Long-day-care centres: Private and community childcare centres with integrated kindergarten programs
- Quality requirements: All services must meet National Quality Standards and curriculum requirements
- Rural priority: Additional 25-hour Pre-Prep pilot targeting regional workforce needs
Average family savings per child
Maximum annual savings by service type
How much families save
Free Kinder delivers substantial financial relief to Victorian families, with sessional kindergartens offering the highest savings of up to $2,627 per child per year in 2025. Long-day-care centres provide savings up to $2,101 through fortnightly fee credits that reduce daily charges for participating families.
Across Victoria, 154,000 families benefit from the program, generating approximately $360 million in total household savings annually. These savings can be redirected to other essential family expenses, reducing cost-of-living pressures while ensuring all children access quality early learning regardless of their family's financial circumstances.
Program impact and delivery
Free Kinder delivers substantial benefits to Victorian families through universal coverage and streamlined administration. The program's scale and efficiency ensure maximum cost-of-living relief while maintaining high-quality early childhood education standards.
- 154,000 families benefitting statewide: Universal coverage means every eligible Victorian family can access Free Kinder regardless of location
- $360 million total household savings: Aggregate annual savings provide significant cost-of-living relief across Victorian communities
- Fortnightly credits at long-day-care: Automatic fee reduction applied to regular invoices, reducing administrative burden for families
- Quality service standards: All participating services must meet National Quality Standards and employ qualified teachers
Infrastructure boost: 6,500 new places
The Victorian Government's infrastructure investment creates 6,500 additional kindergarten places across 47 projects in 2025, addressing capacity constraints in high-growth areas and ensuring every eligible child has access to Free Kinder. Priority areas include Wyndham, Casey, Melton, and Whittlesea councils experiencing rapid population growth.
While the Greens advocate for additional bilingual-immersion kindergartens to support multicultural communities, and the Liberals support fee relief while questioning the 25-hour Pre-Prep rollout timeline, all parties acknowledge the infrastructure expansion addresses genuine capacity shortfalls across metropolitan and regional Victoria.
Kinder enrolment growth 2022-2025
Total 3- and 4-year-old enrolments showing steady growth
Program Highlights
Frequently Asked Questions
Victoria's Free Kinder program represents one of the most significant investments in early childhood education in Australian history, providing universal access to quality kindergarten programs while delivering substantial cost-of-living relief to families. The combination of fee elimination and infrastructure expansion addresses both affordability and capacity constraints.
The program's success depends on continued workforce development, quality service provision, and effective coordination between different service types. As the 25-hour Pre-Prep pilot expands, monitoring educational outcomes and family satisfaction will inform future policy refinements and potential national expansion of the Victorian model.