Kindergarten Infrastructure Services Plan

The Victorian Government is investing nearly $5 billion over the next decade to introduce 2 years of early year education for all 3 and 4-year-olds living in Victoria.

Research shows that quality early childhood education improves children’s outcomes before, during and after school. Research also shows that 2 years of kindergarten have a greater impact than one.

From 2022, 3-year-olds living in Mitchell Shire will benefit from a minimum of 5 hours of funded kindergarten. These hours will gradually increase to 15 by 2029. Meaning 3-year-olds will have the same access to funded kindergarten programs in Mitchell Shire as 4-year-olds.

To support the roll-out of the 3-year-old reform, Mitchell Shire Council and the Department of Education and Training (DET) have developed a Kindergarten Infrastructure and Service Plan (KISP).

Mitchell's KISP is a shared understanding of the current and future need for kindergarten infrastructure with an estimated timing of when new kindergarten rooms are required for our growing population, it includes:

• current number of kindergarten places (supply)
• number of children expected to attend funded kindergarten now and in the future (demand)
• how growth will be accommodated in existing kindergartens
• where new kindergarten infrastructure is needed