The Andrews Labor Government will give Victorian children starting their education at Three-Year-Old Kinder in 2022 a special Kinder Kit – helping to give them the best start on their learning journey.

Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt today announced that as part of the Three-Year-Old Kinder statewide rollout next year, Kinder Kits will be available for enrolled children at the start of the year, thanks to an $8 million investment in the Victorian Budget 2021/22.

The specially designed kits are being created to complement kinder learning by offering fun and creative activities to encourage family engagement in the child’s education and promote awareness of the benefits of continued learning at home.

To help to keep jobs local and support Victoria’s economic recovery from the pandemic, Victorian businesses are being encouraged to submit proposals to help resource the kits.

The materials for the kit will be sourced locally and produced sustainably where possible. The kit will also align with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework outcomes of identity, community, wellbeing, learning and communication.

An independent panel of Victorian early childhood experts will advise on items that are safe, sustainable, inclusive and provide fun ways to kick-start children’s early education.

In an Australian-first, the Labor Government is investing almost $5 billion this decade to provide three-year-old children with access to an additional year of funded kindergarten programs.

From 2022, three-year-old children across the state will have access to at least five hours of kindergarten. Services will then scale up their hours to reach the full 15-hour program by 2029.

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 new ‘Find a Kinder Program’ website at findakinder.educationapps.vic.gov.au.

For more information on the process and to apply to design or provide materials for the Kinder Kits, see
tenders.vic.gov.au after 3:00pm today.