Sessional kindergarten
Sessional kindergartens provide education programs for three to five-year-olds. They are run by:
- The community - parent committees
- Early Years Managers - organisations that manage multiple kindergartens.
Kindergarten in the year before school is government subsidised. Children get access to 15 hours of funded kindergarten per week. Kindergartens provide session times and hours that meet the needs of their local community. Check with the kindergarten for days and hours that best suit you.
Eligible families can access low-cost or no-cost kindergarten. For more information, speak with the sessional kindergarten directly or visit Victoria Government website.
Early Start Kindergarten provides free or low-cost sessional kindergarten to eligible three-year-old children. Programs are offered by an early childhood Degree-qualified teacher.
The Victorian Government is rolling out funded three-year-old kindergarten. It will be available in some areas from 2020 and state-wide by 2022. This will be available in sessional and long day care kindergartens. Kindergartens will offer a minimum of five hours of funded three-year-old kindergarten.
Some sessional kindergartens also provide extended hours for longer sessions, beyond 15 hours per week, for family convenience. Check with the kindergarten about the additional out of pocket costs.
Sessional kindergartens manage their own waiting lists. Please contact your local kindergarten for more information and to register.
Note that children should be enrolled for funded kindergarten in the year they turn two.
Community managed sessional kindergartens
- Albert Park Kinder
18 Dundas Place, Albert Park
Phone: 03 8672 9981 - Bubup Womindjeka Family and Children's Centre
85 Liardet Street, Port Melbourne
Phone: 03 9676 8400
Email: info@bwfcc.org.au - Civic Kindergarten
256 Richardson Street, Middle Park
Phone: 0403 097 244 - Lady Forster Kindergarten
63b Ormond Esplanade, Elwood
Phone: 03 9531 6812 - Lilian Cannam Kindergarten
97 Eastern Road, South Melbourne
Phone: 03 9699 3695 - Middle Park Kindergarten
131 Mills Street, Middle Park
Phone: 03 9690 1220 - Poets Grove Family and Children's Centre
18 Poets Grove, Elwood
Phone: 03 9531 6563 - Port Phillip Specialist Pre-School
Corner of Nott St and Poole St, Port Melbourne
Email: port.phillip.ss@edumail.vic.gov.au - Port Melbourne Uniting Care Kindergarten
144 Bridge Street, Port Melbourne
Phone: 1800 183 103
Independent sessional kindergartens
- Almost French Teaching and Exchange Port Melbourne
85 Liardet Street, Port Melbourne
Phone: 0414 456 062
Email: almostfrenchexchange@gmail.com - St Michael's Kindergarten
8-12 Marlton Crescent, St Kilda
Phone: 03 8530 3320 - Wesley College Early Learning Centre
625 St Kilda Road, St Kilda
Phone: 03 8102 6108 - Yesodei Ha Torah College
39 Dickens Street, Elwood
Phone: 9531 3203
Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan (KISP)
We've worked with the Department of Education and Training to develop a shared understanding of kindergarten services in our City. The result of this joint effort is the Kindergarten Infrastructure and Service Plan (KISP) for the City of Port Phillip.
With our KISP in place, we have agreement on:
- the current supply (or capacity) and demand for funded kindergarten
- future community needs for three and four-year-old kindergarten
- expectations about how we will jointly accommodate the growth in demand, for example by using existing capacity and building new or expanded capacity.
For any existing service or for a potential new service, the KISP serves as an important guide. Future investment requests through Victorian Government grants and decisions for Council or not-for-profit projects will align with our KISP.