Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced an Australian-first change to the way kindergarten will operate across the State.
In a major overhaul of Victoria’s child education program, three year-old children will be able to access an additional year of the funded program.
Around 2700 services across 79 local government areas will deliver at least five hours per week of program this year, before gradually scaling up to reach the full 15-hour program by 2029.
“There’s going to be tens of thousands of kids in this program, this is just fantastic for them, and fantastic for their parents,” Mr Andrews said.
“This is about cost of living, it’s about education, it’s about the best start in life, it’s also about jobs and skills.”
The government is in the process of recruiting another 6000 early childhood teachers and educators, as well as funnelling support into 5000 construction jobs to bolster the new program over the next decade.
Early Childhood Minister Ingrid Stitt said there were multiple benefits of an extra year of childhood education, including better cognitive and social skills when children eventually start school.
According to the government, the extra year has also been linked to higher exam scores and better social and emotional outcomes at age 16, as well as higher academic study.
“Two years of early childhood education is life-changing and can give children such a great trajectory for the rest of their learning years and getting them ready for primary school,” Ms Stitt said.
“This is an incredibly important reform that I’m proud our government is right behind.”
Families can talk to their local kindergarten and long day care services about enrolling for 2022, and can look for a service near them by visiting the ‘Findxjmtzyw a Kinder Program’ website at findakinder.educationapps.vic.gov.au
Children enrolled in funded three-year-old kindergarten will also receive a colourful carry case packed with educational toys and resources to celebrate the change.
The kinder kits will be distributed from the start of Term 1 to children enrolled in three-year-old kindergarten.
