Central Registration Policy

The policy ensures allocations meet the following regulatory requirements:

• Victorian Government: Kindergarten Central Registration and Enrolment
• National Discrimination Laws

Please direct all enquiries to the Central Registration Officer:

Central Registration Officer
Greater Shepparton City Council
Telephone: (03) 5832 9700
Email: central.enrolment@shepparton.vic.gov.au

Kindergarten Guidelines

1. Three Year Old Kindergarten children must turn 3 years old by 30 April to register and must be 3 before they are able to commence – (not all services offer Three Year Old Kindergarten)
2. Four Year Old Kindergarten children who will have their fourth birthday by 30 April in the year of attendance at a state funded kindergarten are eligible for registration.
3. Early Start Kindergarten applications are available to children who turn 3 years old by 30 April in the year they are attending kindergarten and who:
   • are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, OR
   • have current or a history of involvement with Child Protection, including those in Out-of-Home Care, OR
   • have been referred by Child Protection to Child FIRST, Integrated Family Services or Services Connect.
   • are a Refugee or Asylum Seeker
4. Pre-Prep applications are available to children who turn 4 years old by 30 April in the year they are attending kindergarten and who:
   • are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, OR
   • have current or a history of involvement with Child Protection, including those in Out-of-Home Care, OR
   • have been referred by Child Protection to Child FIRST, Integrated Family Services or Services Connect.
   • are a Refugee or Asylum Seeker
   
   For further information, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/kinder-quick-guide-parents

Registration Process

1. First Round Offers for the initial allocation will open on Tuesday 6 May and close on Friday 8 August 2025 for registrations in 2026.
2. Only registrations made on the current Kindergarten Central Registration Form will be accepted. If you require assistance, please contact the Central Registration Officer on (03) 5832 9700.
3. An email confirming that your registration has been submitted correctly will be sent to you. This is not a ‘Letter of Offer’.
4. For Council owned Services - Parents/Guardians will be notified by the Greater Shepparton City Council's Kindergarten Central Registration Officer of successful placement by 31 August in the year of application.
5. For Non-Council owned Services - Parents/Guardians will be notified directly by the Service of successful placement by 31 August in the year of application.
6. Where confirmation to accept the place is not received by the due date, the place will be offered to the next child on waiting list. This will be based on registrations received by the Central Registration Officer prior to the close of First Round Offers and in accordance with the Priority of Access Criteria Guidelines.
7. After the close of First Round Offers, where vacancies occur at a service, a place is offered to the first child on that kindergarten’s waiting list, based on the Priority of Access Criteria.
8. Children transferring from areas outside the Greater Shepparton region after the close of First Round Offers are considered under the same conditions as late registrations.
9. ‘No Jab, No Play’ Legislation
   • To finalise enrolment for your child, you will be required to upload a copy of your child’s current immunisation history statement from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) that shows your child is up to date with all their immunisations due or able to receive for their age, OR
   • Is eligible to enrol under the 16 week ‘support period’ (also known as the ‘grace period’) while the service works with you to obtain the necessary immunisations /documentation. 
   • For additional information refer to health.vic.gov.au.
10. Deferring your placement is not an option. If you wish to withdraw your child, you will need to complete a new Central Registration Form the following year.
11. To cancel or withdraw your child’s registration, please visit the Greater Shepparton City Council website and complete a Kindergarten Withdrawal Form, or contact our office on 5832 9700. This will assist us to update our records and offer the place to the next child on the waiting list. All changes to your child’s registration must be notified in writing.
12. Change of Preference
    If you wish to change your preference, you are required to complete a Change of Preference Form.  Once you have completed this form, your new preference will be updated on the registration system.  Alternatively, you can contact the Central Registration Officer via the contact details at the top of this page. Change of Preference Forms submitted after the close of First Round Offers are considered under the same conditions as late registrations.
13. Additional Year of Funded Kindergarten
    Due to the State Government Kindergarten Funding Guidelines, Kindergartens can only offer one year of funded (Three Year Old) Kindergarten, and one year of funded (Four Year Old) Kindergarten. If exceptional circumstances exist and PRIOR approval is granted by the Department of Education an additional year of funded kindergarten for either Three Year Old Kindergarten or Four Year Old Kindergarten may be approved. Further information regarding this can be found on vic.gov.au.
14. Three Year Old and Four Year Old kindergarten is now funded by Department of Education and is free for children to attend.
15. Where your child is accessing a funded three year old or four year old kindergarten in a long day care centre, fees may apply.
16. For information on fees for kindergarten in a long day care service, contact the relevant service directly.

Criteria of Access for Funded Three Year Old and Four Year Old Kindergarten

The following criteria for priority of access will be considered with each registration.

Kindergarten places are prioritised for children through the Department of Education Priority of Access criteria.

These priorities include:

• Priority 1
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
  • Children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in out-of-home care
  • Asylum Seeker and Refugee children
• Priority 2
  • Children eligible for the kindergarten fee subsidy ie: concession card or multiple birth children (triplets or quadruplets)
• Priority 3
  • Children with additional needs: those who need extra assistance in order to fully participate in the kindergarten program, require a combination of services which are individually planned, or have an identified specific disability or developmental delay. This includes children who are approved for a second funded year of 3 or 4 year old kindergarten.
    
    For more information, please see kindergarten priority of access criteria.
• Priority 4
  Greater Shepparton gives subsequent priority to the following Community Connections:
  • Child currently attends Long Day Care at the kindergarten of first preference and is going into Three Year Old Kindergarten (Two years before school)
  • Child currently attends Occasional Care or Playgroup at the service of first preference
  • Child has a sibling who attended the kindergarten of first preference within the 2 years prior to the year you are registering for
  • Families who live within 1km of the kindergarten of first preference (based on residential address in Google Maps)

Registrations exceed places at a Kindergarten

When all places have been filled as per the Criteria of Access for Priorities 1-3 and places are still available, Priority 4 will be randomly generated until all spaces are filled.

If there are still places available after Priority 4 has been generated, any registrations received not fitting to any Priority will be randomly generated.

Parents/Guardians of children not allocated a place in their kindergarten of first preference will be notified by the Greater Shepparton City Council Central Registration Officer. At this time they will be advised of availability at other Services and the option to change their preference. Alternatively, they will also be given the choice to go on to the Wait List at the kindergarten of first preference.

It is not possible to accept a place at a kindergarten and remain on the waiting list for another kindergarten.

Late Registrations

Registrations received after the close of First Round Offers on Friday 8 August 2025 are considered late and will be processed once First Round Offers have been finalised in the middle of September.

Late registrations received for services that have a waiting list will also be prioritised as per the Criteria of Access.

Further information

For further support completing the registration form or further questions, please contact the Central Registration Officer as per details at the top of the page or visit Customer Service at Greater Shepparton City Council, 90 Welsford Street, Shepparton.

Miscellaneous

At the time of writing, the kindergartens listed all comply with the National Quality Framework and are eligible for the Department of Education and Training Kindergarten Certificate and funding.

Greater Shepparton City Council complies with the Information Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). For more information, see Greater Shepparton City Council's Privacy Policy.

Version: 1
Adopted Policy Date:  May 6, 2025