The Yarra Ranges Shire will be part of the next stage of the Best Start, Best Life early childhood education reform announced by Early Childhood and Pre-Prep Minister Ingrid Stitt.
Pre-Prep, which is a program of 30 hours each week of teacher-led play-based learning, will begin in selected areas from 2025, before expanding across the state. Yarra Ranges Shire has been bookmarked to commence roll out in 2030.
Vulnerable and Indigenous children living outside the early roll-out areas will also be eligible for 30 hours of Pre-Prep every week from 2026, while children experiencing disadvantage will be eligible from 2028.
This includes children from a refugee background, children known to child protection and children whose families hold Commonwealth concession cards.
Program delivery will occur though sessional kindergartens and long day-care centres. The intention is to create high quality and universal programs for four year olds.
The programs will be delivered through sessional kindergartens and long day-care centres, creating a high-quality, universal program that gives four-year-old children greater opportunities to socialise, learn through play and best prepare them for their formal educational journey.
“Early education has the most profound impact on a child’s development – that’s why we’re delivering free kinder for three and four-year-olds, establishing Pre-Prep, and upgrading or providing new equipment to every kinder to make sure kids have everything they need to get the best start.” Ms Stitt said.
This roll-out schedule is similar to the roll out for three-year-old kindergarten and follows the successful launch of free kinder. This program is currently saving families in Victoria portions of child care fees and giving people options and flexibility when managing work and family commitments.
“First, three-year-old kinder and free kinder, and now pre-prep – these once-in-a-generation reforms will not just give our kids a quality early education, they will also give them the best start to their whole lives,” Ms Stitt said.
