What you need to know about attending childcare and kindergarten
Find childcare or kindergarten
To help you, Council has created a guide outlining the key steps and decisions that need to be made before starting childcare or kindergarten.
Search for centres in your preferred locations - near your home, work, or place of study.
Fees and subsidies
Fees
Council-managed childcare and kindergartens: $147
Community-managed childcare and kindergartens set their own fees, and each is different. Find fees information by logging onto each centres’ website, found on the childcare and kindergarten page.
Subsidies
The cost of fees for childcare or integrated kindergarten could be reduced if a family is eligible for any of the government childcare subsidies or funding.
For subsidy eligibility and access see Child Care Subsidy and Additional Child Care Subsidy.
To find out your level of subsidy, contact Centrelink or call them on 136 150.
Free kindergarten
Free three-year-old and four-year-old Kindergarten is available at participating childcare and sessional kindergarten centres across Victoria.
Participating kindergarten providers will receive funding directly from the Victorian Government, so families are not out of pocket (and do not have to claim the savings back).
Some kindergartens may charge for extras such as incursions or excursions.
For more information, see Free Kinder
Priority of Access (PoA)
Based on the Priority of Access (PoA) criteria questions you answer when registering, scoring is applied. This is to determine a child's status and prioritise placing children experiencing vulnerability, who most need early education and care.
Immunisation
Under Victorian Government legislation:
- All children registering for childcare or kindergarten in Victoria must be fully vaccinated
- Proof of vaccination needs to be shown at the centre prior to starting
- Children can be on a catch-up vaccination program
For more information visit:
Regulations and frameworks
Find out how centres rate.
National Quality Standards ratings and how to choose the best childcare or kindergarten for my child.
How to choose the best childcare or integrated kindergarten centre for my child
Further information
For more information on any of the above, please contact Council’s Children’s Services Waitlist Registration Officer:
Phone: 9209 6360
Email: cccwaitinglist@portphillip.vic.gov.au
Online: My Port Phillip