Priority of Access recognises Commonwealth and State Government and local area criteria to ensure fair, equitable and transparent allocation of places for all eligible children.
Priority of Access is given to:
• Children who are funded for a second year of four-year-old kindergarten (or ESK enrolments)
• Children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in Out of Home Care.
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children
• Asylum seeker and refugee children
• Children eligible for the Kindergarten Fee Subsidy: a child or parent hold a Commonwealth Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Veteran’s Affairs card, or multiple birth children (triplets, quadruplets)
• Children with additional needs, defined as children who: require additional assistance to fully participate in the kindergarten program, require a combination of services which are individually planned, have an identified specific disability or developmental delay.
• Children with siblings also at the kindergarten and have attended this kindergarten in previous years.
If there are more applications than places available, priority will be given in this order:
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Children eligible for ESK.
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Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children.
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Children who were eligible to attend in the previous year but deferred.
When demand exceeds availability, the Approved Provider will refer to the service’s values, philosophy and Inclusion and Equity Policy to determine the priority of access.
• Children who were eligible to attend in the previous year but deferred or withdrew from the service prior to the April data collection.
Criteria related to the residential address of the family or carers, for example.
• Children who live in the municipality.
• Children whose families are in the process of moving to the municipality
• Children who are cared for in the municipality
• Children who are likely to attend school in the municipality.
Residential proximity to the service, for example
• Children who reside within 5km distance of the service
• Children who are cared for within 5km distance of the service.
Criteria for non-resident families, for example
• The child’s parent/carers is working within the municipality
• The child’s parent carers is studying for volunteering with the municipality
• The child attends a childcare service in the municipality
• The child has sibling(s) attending a school or another service within the same neighbourhood as the
Criteria relating to families with a demonstrable link to the service, for example.
• The child has a sibling who is enrolled and attending this service
• The child attended three-year-old kindergarten at this service.
• Disadvantaged or vulnerable child who has accessed ESK grant or Access to Early learning program in the previous year.
Families who think they may be eligible for Priority of Access can contact us for assistance on 5461 0610
or central.registrations@cgoldshire.vic.gov.au