Look for the Kinder Tick

The Victorian Government is making it easier for families to find funded and approved kindergarten programs. For kinder you can count on, just look for the Kinder Tick.

About the Kinder Tick

The Kinder Tick helps Victorian families find a funded kindergarten program for their children.

When you see the Kinder Tick, you can be confident:

the program will be led by a qualified teacher
children will benefit from play-based learning
the kindergarten program is funded and approved by the Victorian Government
the program complies with government guidelines and the National Quality Framework.

This is the same in both long day care and sessional or “standalone” kindergarten services.

No matter where your child attends a kindergarten program, they’ll be learning through play with an early childhood teacher. Research shows that learning through play helps young children learn and develop which prepares them for school and life.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/524568521?autoplay=0

Kinder Tick explainer

View transcript

Kinder Tick is not a rating system

All kindergarten programs in Victoria are independently assessed and rated under the National Quality Framework, which is a separate process. You can find descriptions of every service’s National Quality Framework rating on StartingBlocks.

Learn more about how to choose a quality service.

Finding a Victorian Government approved kinder program for your child

Where to look for the Kinder Tick

You can look for the Kinder Tick logo at your local early childhood education and care service, on the service or centre’s building or grounds, on their website or in their information materials.

The Kinder Tick is not linked with Free Kinder. All services running an approved program are eligible to display the tick.

Find a kinder

To find services offering free and government-approved kinder programs with play-based learning, visit the Find a kinder website.

Yellow, pink and green map of with purple icons to indicate the Kinder Tick

Find a kinder program

Find services offering free and government-approved kinder programs with play-based learning.

Talk to your local kindergarten or childcare service about their enrolment process. A central enrolment system may operate in your area. To find out more, contact your local council.

Kinder is a program, not a place

Kindergarten programs are delivered in both long day care and standalone services.

You can choose what works best for your family and child – the kindergarten programs are the same. All funded kindergarten programs in Victoria are led by a qualified early childhood teacher and offer a play-based learning program based on the same government guidelines.

Long day care centre

A long day care centre offers a full day of education and care to children from birth to school age, and many offer a funded kindergarten program as part of their service. The teacher-led kindergarten program may be integrated with additional hours of education and care.

Kindergarten programs delivered in a long day care setting provide flexibility for parents and carers by offering childcare before and after the kindergarten program.

Standalone kindergarten

A standalone kindergarten offers up to 15 hours of a funded kindergarten program to eligible three and four-year-old children.

Availability in both service types

In both service types, the funded kindergarten program may be available on certain days and session times. These days and session times are set by the service.

Deciding where to send your child will depend on which services are available in your community, and your family’s needs.

Enrolling your child at a funded kindergarten program

You can talk to your local kindergarten service about their enrolment process and timelines.

Your local area may also operate a central enrolment process for some or all services. To find out more, contact your local council.

Translated information about the Kinder Tick

Open all

A-K languages

L-Z languages

Lao

Kinder Tick - Lao - online version

Kinder Tick-Lao PDF 115.21 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Lao Word 135.57 KB (opens in a new window)

Macedonian

Kinder Tick - Macedonian - online version

Kinder Tick-Macedonian PDF 129.02 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Macedonian Word 135.09 KB (opens in a new window)

Malay

Kinder Tick - Malay - online version

Kinder Tick-Malay PDF 88.99 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Malay Word 134.42 KB (opens in a new window)

Nepali

Kinder Tick - Nepali - online version

Kinder Tick-Nepali PDF 161.93 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Nepali Word 135.24 KB (opens in a new window)

Oromo

Kinder Tick - Oromo - online version

Kinder Tick-Oromo PDF 130.32 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Oromo Word 112.95 KB (opens in a new window)

Pashto

Kinder Tick - Pashto - online version

Kinder Tick-Pashto PDF 125.08 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Pashto Word 135.44 KB (opens in a new window)

Punjabi

Kinder Tick - Punjabi - online version

Kinder Tick-Punjabi PDF 151.71 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Punjabi Word 135.53 KB (opens in a new window)

Romanian

Kinder Tick - Romanian - online version

Kinder Tick-Romanian PDF 130.44 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Romanian Word 132.66 KB (opens in a new window)

Russian

Kinder Tick - Russian - online version

Kinder Tick-Russian PDF 131.21 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Russian Word 134.97 KB (opens in a new window)

Samoan

Kinder Tick - Samoan - online version

Kinder Tick-Samoan PDF 125.56 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Samoan Word 137.02 KB (opens in a new window)

Sinhalese

Kinder Tick - Sinhalese - online version

Kinder Tick-Sinhalese PDF 102.11 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick - Sinhalese Word 135.73 KB (opens in a new window)

Somali

Kinder Tick - Somali - online version

Kinder Tick-Somali PDF 89.24 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Somali Word 133.3 KB (opens in a new window)

Spanish

Kinder Tick - Spanish - online version

Kinder Tick-Spanish PDF 89.52 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Spanish Word 134.92 KB (opens in a new window)

Swahili

Kinder Tick - Swahili - online version

Kinder Tick-Swahili PDF 89.58 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Swahili Word 135.15 KB (opens in a new window)

Tagalog

Kinder Tick - Tagalog - online version

Kinder Tick-Tagalog PDF 89.31 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Tagalog Word 135.38 KB (opens in a new window)

Tamil

Kinder Tick - Tamil - online version

Kinder Tick-Tamil PDF 176.81 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Tamil Word 125.95 KB (opens in a new window)

Telugu

Kinder Tick - Telugu - online version

Kinder Tick-Telugu PDF 186.25 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Telugu Word 135.47 KB (opens in a new window)

Thai

Kinder Tick - Thai - online version

Kinder Tick-Thai PDF 113.39 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Thai Word 135.74 KB (opens in a new window)

Tibetan

Kinder Tick - Tibetan - online version

Kinder Tick-Tibetan PDF 128.46 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Tibetan Word 127.47 KB (opens in a new window)

Tigrinya

Kinder Tick - Tigrinya - online version

Kinder Tick-Tigrinya PDF 126.23 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Tigrinya Word 113.79 KB (opens in a new window)

Tongan

Kinder Tick - Tongan - online version

Kinder Tick-Tongan PDF 126.51 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Tongan Word 135.88 KB (opens in a new window)

Turkish

Kinder Tick - Turkish - online version

Kinder Tick-Turkish PDF 128.18 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Turkish Word 134.61 KB (opens in a new window)

Ukrainian

Kinder Tick - Ukrainian - online version

Kinder Tick-Ukrainian PDF 131 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Ukrainian Word 138 KB (opens in a new window)

Urdu

Kinder Tick - Urdu - online version

Kinder Tick-Urdu PDF 190.71 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Urdu Word 134.82 KB (opens in a new window)

Vietnamese

Kinder Tick - Vietnamese - online version

Kinder Tick-Vietnamese PDF 134.66 KB (opens in a new window)

Kinder Tick-Vietnamese Word 133.99 KB (opens in a new window)

About government funding

Open all

Services eligible for Victorian Government funding

To be able to show the Kinder Tick, services must be receiving Victorian Government funding.

This means service providers must:

provide a kindergarten program that is planned and delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher
offer a four-year-old kindergarten for at least 15 hours per week for 40 weeks of the year; and offer three-year-old kindergarten for up to 15 hours per week for 40 weeks of the year
deliver a program in line with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework as an approved learning framework under the National Quality Framework
comply with the Victorian Department of Education’s standards and guidelines

The amount in kindergarten fees that each family pays can vary based on your location, the type of early childhood education service and existing government subsidies.

It’s best to speak to your service directly about your fees, including any subsidies your family may be eligible for.

Kindergarten fees and government funding

The amount in kindergarten fees that each family pays can vary based on your location, the type of early childhood education service and existing government subsidies. It’s best to speak to your service directly about your fees, including any subsidies your family may be eligible for.

Updated 26 March 2026

Economic Growth Statement

Look for the Kinder Tick

On this page

About the Kinder Tick

Kinder Tick is not a rating system

Finding a Victorian Government approved kinder program for your child

Where to look for the Kinder Tick

Find a kinder

Kinder is a program, not a place

Long day care centre

Standalone kindergarten

Availability in both service types

Enrolling your child at a funded kindergarten program

Translated information about the Kinder Tick

Albanian

Amharic

Arabic

Assyrian

Bengali

Bulgarian

Burmese

Chinese simplified

Chinese traditional

Croatian

Dari

Dinka

Dzongkha

Farsi

Fijian

French

Gujarati

Hakha Chin

Hazaragi

Hebrew

Hindi

Hmong

Indonesian

Italian

Japanese

Karen

Korean

Kurdish

Lao