Kindergarten

We’ve made some changes to kindergarten registration. Please read through the information below.

For any 2026 registration enquiries, please call our Family and Children’s services team on 5320 5720 or email kindergarten@ballarat.vic.gov.au

• Need to make changes to your child’s registration? Please contact us by phone or email instead of filling out a new form.
• Registrations are allocated fairly - the date you apply does not affect your child’s place.
• The City of Ballarat collects and uses your personal and/or health information and that of your child as it is required to complete this registration form. For more information, please see the Privacy page.

Handy tips before you register:

• You can register your child the year before they attend kindergarten.
• Registrations open January 1 for the following year.
• You will need to register for 3-year-old kindergarten and 4-year -old kindergarten/Pre-Prep separately. This means you will register for 4-year-old kindergarten when your child is attending 3-year-old kindergarten. We will remind you when registrations open.
• Families are encouraged to register by 31 March to help with placement planning, however registrations will remain open year around.  
• When to start - Use the starting age calculator to enter your child's birth date to find out what year they can start Three- and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten
• If your child is not eligible to register for kindergarten yet (2027 & beyond), you can fill out the Expression of Interest form and we will remind you when kindergarten registrations open for your child. 

Submit a kindergarten registration

To submit a new registration:

• Go to SUBMIT A KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION button
• Select the kindergarten program you would like to register for and the year you wish to start.
• Select three kindergartens
• Enter the following personal details
• Submit your registration

Next steps

• Your submission is added to the City of Ballarat registrations
• Preference confirmation email distributed during May the year prior to starting kindergarten.
• Next communication will be during our offer period in July the year prior to starting kindergarten.

To update or change an existing registration:

• Contact Family and Children’s services on 5320 5720 or via email: kindergarten@ballarat.vic.gov.au

Download our fact sheet about kindergarten registrations.

Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) continues to be available for eligible 3-year-old children, providing 15 hours of kindergarten each week.

To be eligible, your child must be 3 by 30 April in the year they start kindergarten, and:

• From a refugee or asylum seeker background, or
• Identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or
• Your family has had contact with child protection.

Note: Children eligible for ESK are offered Priority of Access.

Four-Year-Old kindergarten is becoming Pre-Prep.

Pre-Prep will be available statewide for children in the following priority groups:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children
• Children from a refugee or asylum seeker background
• Children who have had contact with child protection
• Children who were supported by Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) or Access to Early Learning (AEL) in their three- year-old kindergarten year. 

For more information

Visit the Victorian Government's Best Start, Best Life - Four-Year-Old Kindergarten is becoming Pre-Prep
You can also watch the Pre-Prep video

See the list of Ballarat's Kindergartens

Explore the map to find a kindergarten near you

Kindergarten programs are fully funded by the Victorian Government, which is paid directly to the kindergarten.

Victorian State Government funds Kindergarten Programs for children in both 3yo and 4yo Kindergarten/Pre-Prep. Children will receive 15 hours of free kindergarten however you may be eligible for additional hours. 

You can check your eligibility in the Pre-Prep section of this page. 

If the funded kindergarten program the child will be attending is integrated with long day care, families may need to discuss Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and fee structures with the provider.

The offer period is during the month of July, the year prior to starting kindergarten.

Where there are more registrations than places available at a kindergarten, offers are allocated by:

• Priority 1: Department of Education’s Priority of Access
• Priority 2: Local Access Criteria
• Priority 3: The remaining places are offered using a fair, automated system that considers your preferences.

Visit the Priority of access for early childhood education page on the Victorian Government website for more information on Priority of Access.

More information about our allocation process:

• Central Kindergarten Registration Procedure
• Central Kindergarten Registration Policy

Under the No Jab, No Play law, kindergartens must get an immunisation statement from parents showing their child:

• Is fully vaccinated for their age, or
• Is on a recognised catch-up schedule if they are behind with their vaccinations, or
• Has a medical reason not to be vaccinated. 

Under the No Jab, No Play law, if your child’s immunisation record is not up-to date your child cannot attend kindergarten.

Visit the Victorian Government's Child Immunisations for more information.

NOTE: For families experiencing vulnerability and/or disadvantage where a child’s immunisation is not up-to-date or the appropriate documentation has not been provided, the child may be able to be enrolled under the ‘No Jab, No Play’ grace period provisions. Please talk to your kindergarten teacher before enrolling.

You may be able to delay or defer your child starting kindergarten. It is recommended that children should complete at least one year of four-year-old kindergarten before starting school.

You are encouraged to think about when your child will start school and keep that in mind when deciding when your child will start kindergarten.

Families with children born between January and 30 April can choose which year they begin at kindergarten. This means they can start when they have turned 3 in 3-year-old kindergarten or 4 in 3-year-old kindergarten. Children are eligible for one year of funded 3-year-old kindergarten and then must move into 4-year-old kindergarten.

Please remember that children who are six years old or older must be enrolled at school. Visit Victorian Government's enrolment guidance to see school age requirements.

For more information about delaying or deferring your child's start to kindergarten, please chat with your preferred kindergarten or our Family and Children's Services team.

During the kindergarten or Pre-Prep year, the kindergarten or Pre-Prep teacher and the child’s parents/carers will work together to plan for the child’s transition to their next educational learning environment; either to Four-Year-Old Kindergarten/Pre-Prep or to school. 

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

• Three-Year-Old Kindergarten
• Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (or Pre-Prep for eligible children).

That is, eligible children can access up to 3 years of funded kindergarten/Pre-Prep. 

An additional year of funded kindergarten or Pre-Prep may be considered appropriate when a child shows delays in at least 2 learning and development outcome areas from the Victorian Early Years and Development Framework, and when:

• The kindergarten/Pre-Prep program is deemed to be the most appropriate learning environment
• The child will achieve better outcomes at Three-Year-Old Kindergarten than if they go to transition to Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (or Pre-Prep) the following year
• The child will achieve better outcomes at Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (or Pre-Prep) than if they go to school.

More information can be found at: Additional year of funded kindergarten or Pre-Prep from 2026

City of Ballarat manages the registration process for over 30 kindergartens within the local area to enable the placement of children into funded kindergarten programs in the two years before attending primary school.

This centralised system allows families to select up to three kindergarten preferences. 

Read our Central Kindergarten Registration Policy.

Find out more about kinders in Ballarat and the Central Kindergarten Registration Scheme. 

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact our Family and Children’s Services team:

• Phone: 5320 5720
• Email: kindergarten@ballarat.vic.gov.au.
• In person: Kindergarten Registration drop in - no bookings required. Parent Place, 39 Sturt St, Ballarat Central. Every Thursday, 9:30am- 2:30pm