As kindergarten demand grows across the shire, we are seeking community feedback on draft principles that will help guide future decisions about kindergarten planning, services and facilities — including through an online survey and drop-in sessions for expectant parents and families with children aged 0–12 months.
The Victorian Government is responsible for making sure all eligible children can access a funded kindergarten program. To do this, it works with organisations including councils to help deliver kindergarten programs and facilities.
By 2031, all eligible children in the Macedon Ranges will be able to access up to 30 hours of funded four-year-old kindergarten per week.
This increase in funded hours means more kindergarten places, services and buildings will be needed across the shire.
Funded kindergarten programs are delivered in two main ways.
A standalone kindergarten program where children attend only for their funded kindergarten hours. These programs generally have little or no out-of-pocket cost for families.
A child receives their funded kindergarten program hours within a long day care service. These services often offer longer daily hours, care during school holidays and meals. Fees apply in this type of program and are set by the individual provider.
Council has two main roles in supporting kindergarten:
This includes:
Council will continue delivering funded sessional kindergarten programs while also helping plan for future growth in partnership with other organisations and government.
As demand for kindergarten grows, we need a consistent way to guide future decisions about kindergarten projects, services and infrastructure, even if state government reforms change over time.
To support this, we have developed a draft framework that includes guiding principles.
These principles would help assess future kindergarten projects by:
A recommendation would then be made to Councillors based on the overall score.
This process would help determine whether it is most appropriate for Council to deliver a project directly, or support another organisation to deliver it.
Access to a kindergarten place – whether sessional or integrated – is available for all children across the shire
The aim is to make sure there are enough places for every eligible child to receive a funded kindergarten program within the SA2* they live in. This may be in a sessional kindergarten program (no out-of-pocket expense), or it may be in an integrated kindergarten program (fees apply to cover additional wrap around services, set by each long day care service).
Council can offset initial and ongoing costs through grant funding
The aim is to make sure that Council will receive grant funding through the Department of Education to cover as much of the cost as possible to build new kindergarten infrastructure and deliver additional kindergarten programs, keeping Council contributions as low as possible.
| Access to sessional kindergarten is the same for all children across the shire The aim is to make sure the same level of access to a sessional kindergarten program (no out-of-pocket expense) exists in each SA2* community. This doesn’t mean that every child will get a sessional kindergarten place, but that each area will have a similar level of access. |
There is alignment to Council’s strategic priorities
The aim is to make sure any plans for future kindergarten buildings or services are clearly identified as a priority within one or more strategic Council documents.Access to sessional kinder is higher in communities with the greatest vulnerability**
The aim is to make sure children in SA2* communities with higher needs can access free sessional kindergarten. This doesn’t mean every child in these areas will get a place, but that these communities will have better access than others, so kindergarten programs have a similar mix of needs across the shire. The Department of Education helps by identifying children who must be given higher priority for places.
New kindergarten infrastructure/service delivery provides the opportunity for co-located early years services
The aim is for new kindergarten buildings to also have room for other early childhood services, like Maternal and Child Health, playgroups, or visiting specialists. Where possible, they should be close to places like primary schools to make getting around easier for families.
New kindergarten infrastructure considers environmental and sustainable design (ESD) and performance
The aim is to build new kindergarten spaces that use less energy, are more comfortable for children and staff as the climate changes and have a positive impact on the local community.
* SA2 – Statistical Areas Level 2 are medium-sized general-purpose areas that represent a community that interacts together socially and economically. There are six SA2s in the Macedon Ranges. For more information, see Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan under the helpful links.
** Vulnerability is determined by the relative percentage of the eligible kindergarten cohort who meet the Department of Education’s Priority of Access criteria, and measures like AEDC data and the SEIFA index.
We are seeking your feedback on the principles used to guide future decision-making.
Your feedback will be collated and presented to Councillors, with recommended changes to the framework if appropriate, before a final decision-making framework is endorsed later in the year.
You can have your say by:
The feedback period will close at 11:59pm on Monday 8 June 2026.
Before you begin this survey, please make sure you have read the 7 principles listed above.
In the survey, you’ll be asked to rank how important each principle is to you and provide any additional feedback at the end.
You can complete the survey anonymously or leave your contact details at the end to receive project updates.
The drop-in sessions are for people who are pregnant or parenting a child aged 0–12 months, who would like an opportunity to talk about the principles, and how Council would use the decision-making framework, in person.The drop-in sessions will run:
| Phone | (03) 5422 0333 |
|---|---|
| Website | www.mrsc.vic.gov.au |
| In writing | PO Box 151, Kyneton VIC 3444 |
