With the release of the operational policy settings, which will apply to all funded kindergarten services in Victoria from 2026, planning for Pre-Prep is now well and truly underway.
As part of your preparations, your service may need additional supports to help you engage with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families.
And to help ensure as many children as possible experience the benefits of 2 years of kindergarten, we have a range of supports available to help break down barriers to access that some families may experience.
We encourage services to refer to Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten for information to help support CALD families access kindergarten.
These resources will help with communicating to families about the benefits of kindergarten and how to access it.
They may also support your conversations with families from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds about their eligibility for early access to Pre-Prep in 2026.
Supporting CALD families webpage
The Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten webpage provides information, videos, and links to various initiatives that support access to early childhood education, including the:
- Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) program
- CALD Outreach Initiative
- the Brotherhood of St Laurence Family Learning Support program
- Foundation House Early Years Program
- Children’s Services Cultural Inclusion Support.
Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) enrolment in Three-Year-Old Kindergarten in 2025 can also serve as a valuable planning tool for your service, as children eligible for ESK in 2025 are the same children who will be eligible for Pre-Prep in 2026.
Translation services
We have a range of support options available to help overcome language barriers.
Please refer to Use an interpreter in early childhood services for information about the free telephone, video and on-site interpreters and free translation services for written documents available for all department funded kindergarten services.
You can also refer to the Information about kindergarten in your language webpage to access information in 30 languages, outlining what early childhood education is, how and when to enrol, how to access Early Start Kindergarten and more.
Services can also order printed translated resources through the Victorian Kindergarten Resources Portal. Through this portal, services can order printed translated resources in 30 different languages at no cost, as well as downloadable materials for digital use.
Communicating to your community
The Communicating about kindergarten to your community webpage has a wide range of resources to help you communicate about kindergarten to local families and the wider community.
You may find this page especially useful at the start of the kindergarten year, or at the start of the enrolment period. Communication packs include:
- sample text
- fact sheets
- talking points
- social media tiles
- website content
- newsletter content.
Find out more
For more information, refer to:
- Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten
- Communicating about kindergarten to your community.
For further enquiries, contact the department’s Change Management team by email: bsbl.change.management@education.vic.gov.au
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