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. Year 1 (Three-Year-Old) Kindergarten children must turn 3 years old by 30^th April to register and must be 3 before they are able to commence.. – (not all services offer Three-Year- Old Kindergarten)
2. Year 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 three (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
   For further information, visit the Victorian Department of Education and Training website.
4. Applications close on 9 August of the year prior to the year of attendance at kindergarten, for the initial allocation.
5. 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 5123.
6. An email confirming that your registration has been submitted correctly will be sent to you. This is not a ‘Letter of Offer’.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Where confirmation to accept the place is not received by the due date, the service will notify Greater Shepparton City Council's Kindergarten Central Registration Officer and  the place will be offered to the next child on waiting list. This will be based on applications received by the Kindergarten prior to 11 August and in accordance with the Priority of Access Criteria Guidelines
10. After 9 August, 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.
11. Children transferring from areas outside the Greater Shepparton region after 9 August are considered under the same conditions as late enrolments.
12. ‘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.
13. 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.
14. To cancel or withdraw your child’s registration, please visit the Greater Shepparton City Council website and complete a Change of Preference or Withdrawal form, or contact our office on 5832 5123. 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.
15. 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 four year old kindergarten may be approved. Further information regarding this can be found on vic.gov.au.
16. Kindergarten for Three- Year-Old and Four-Year- Old kindergarten is now funded by Department of Education and is free for children to attend.
17. Where your child is accessing a funded three year old or four year old funded kindergarten in a long day care centre, fees may apply.
18. For information on fees for kindergarten in a long day care service, contact the relevant service directly.

Enquiries regarding the central registration process should be directed to:

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

Criteria of access for Two-Years of Funded Kindergarten

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

In instances where more eligible children apply for a place at a kindergarten service than there are places available, services must: 

• prioritise children based on the criteria listed below;
• work with other local kindergarten services and the regional Department of Education office to ensure all eligible children have access to a kindergarten place; and
• ensure criteria is used by service providers when prioritising registrations. Further information can be found on vic.gov.au.

Priority 1 families will be given first placement priority at all services.

Multiple Registrations

In the instance there are multiple registrations meeting the above criteria, preference will be given in the order listed by priority number

When all applications eligible for priority have been allocated and the service still has spaces, all remaining names will be allocated to the service by a random ballot conducted by the Central Registration Officer.

Where a service exceeds applications to places, the service will be contacted and made aware of partial ballot and asked where applicable to confirm proof of child criteria.

The ballot will occur within five (5) working days of 9 August.

The ballot will continue until all names are selected. Names selected after the available places are filled, will be placed in order of selection on the waiting list for that service.

Services will be required to provide information of past enrolments of previous attendance at a service.

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 notified of available places and given the option of accepting a place at an alternative kindergarten, or putting their child’s name on the kindergarten of choice waiting list. There is no guarantee of a place becoming available 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 Applications

Applications received after 9 August are considered late and will be processed after initial registrations.

Late applications received for centres that have a waiting list will be prioritised after initial applications have been prioritised, following the criteria of access.

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.

Change of Preference forms submitted after 9 August are considered under the same conditions as late registrations.

Miscellaneous

Parents/Guardians  need to check with their preferred kindergarten as to whether a funded program is being offered for the year their child will attend.

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.