Early childhood education and care
Information for families about education and care options for children aged 0 to 6 years.
Useful links
Information for all families
Choosing an early childhood service
Information for families to understand different types of early childhood services, and what to consider when selecting a service.
Child safety in early childhood
Information for families to understand what child safety looks like in early childhood education and care services.
Make a complaint about an early childhood service
How to make a complaint about an early childhood service.
Child care
Victorian child care services provide care for children from birth to 6 years. They support your child’s social, emotional and physical development and offer additional hours for children aged 3 to 6 outside kindergarten hours.
Types of child care
Guidance for parents to choose the right type of child care service that suits their needs, such as long day, occasional, family, or in-home care.
How to enrol in child care
Information about how to choose a child care service, understand costs of child care, and enrol your child in Victoria.
Find a child care
Search the ‘Find Child Care’ tool using your address, suburb or postcode to find child care services near you.
Kinder
In Victoria, children start kindergarten at 3 years old, which means 2 years of kindergarten before school. Free kinder is available for children enrolled in funded kindergarten programs.
Free Kinder
Learn about savings available to help Victorian families access 2 years of quality kinder.
Sending your child to kinder
Learn about how your child can access Free Kinder, the benefits of kinder, and how to find and enrol in a kinder program that suits your family’s needs.
Types of kinder programs
Learn about the different kinder programs available for your child in Victoria.
Kinder for Aboriginal children: Koorie Kids Shine
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can access 15 hours per week of free or low-cost kindergarten. From 2026, 4-year-olds can access up to 25 hours per week of Pre-Prep.
How to enrol in kindergarten
Learn how to register and what you need to provide to enrol.
Find a kinder program
This interactive map helps you find kinder programs that have been approved by the Victorian Government in locations convenient to you.
Access and inclusion
Kinder: Information in your language
Learn more about kindergarten in Victoria in 30 languages. Find information about Free Kinder, the benefits of 2 years of kindergarten, how to enrol, as well as job opportunities.
Kinder Kits - English
Every child enrolled in a funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program in 2026 is eligible to receive a Kinder Kit.
Hearing loss support in early childhood and school
Get information about supports available in early childhood and at school for children with hearing loss.
Education & trainingParents & carers
Updated 26 March 2026
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