Altona North families are encouraged to enrol their children in free kindergarten programs for three-and-four-year-olds.
Hobsons Bay council is encouraging parents of all cultures and backgrounds to start visiting local kinders to discuss enrolment options that work best for them, given enrolment processes will begin allocating places in July.
On Monday, May 5, Early Childhood and Pre-Prep Minister Ingrid Stitt joined former AFL star Bachar Houli at the Altona North Children’s Service to promote enrolments for next year.
Before starting primary school, families can choose to enrol their children in three-year-old Kindergarten for five to 15 hours per week, followed by four-year-old Kindergarten for 15 hours per week.
Ms Stitt said both parents and children can benefit from enrolling in early childhood education.
“Everyone benefits from kindergarten. Children get to experience new adventures while getting quality early education and families, in particular women, have more flexibility to return to work if they choose,” she said,
“What a child experiences between the ages of three and five can make a big difference to their development and wellbeing. Free Kinder supports every Victorian child to get the best start in life, no matter where they live.”
Kindergarten extends the learning that children are already doing at home while saving families up to $2500 in fees per child each year, the state government said.
Two years of kindergarten can support a child’s learning and development , with play based learning identified as a powerful learning experience, the government said.
Parents should look for a Kinder Tick, so they can be confident their child will be attending a funded kindergarten program.
To find out more about kindergarten and how to enrol, visit vic.gov.au/kinder or contact council.
Jennifer Pittorino
