Who

To be eligible for a PPP, a child must be age eligible to attend kindergarten and fall into one of the below categories:

• First Nations children
• Children known to Child Protection, including children in out-of-home care
• Children from a refugee or asylum background
• Multiple birth children (triplets or more)
• Children from families with a Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or Veteran Affairs Card
• Children accessing an additional year of 3- or 4-Year-Old Kinder, and/or
• Children with additional needs.

What is available

Pre-Purchased Places ensure that children who enrol outside of typical timeframes are able to access a kinder program without delay. Pre-purchased places are allocated to eligible sessional kindergarten services each year. Services may be allocated Pre-Purchased Places if they:

• Are located in a low socio-economic area
• Have 30 per cent (or more) enrolment rate of children experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage, or
• Have 10 per cent (or more) enrolments from First Nations children.

How to access

The Department of Education monitors vacant Pre-Purchased Places and regularly circulates a list of these, together with service contact information, to key referral agencies such as The Orange Door, Child Protection, Maternal and Child Health Services and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.

Practitioners supporting children to enrol outside of typical timeframes may also contact their local Early Childhood Improvement Branch for support to identify and enrol a child through available Pre-purchased places.

Advocating for Pre-Purchased Places: Practitioners can contact their Early Childhood Improvement Branch (ECIB) to advocate for the allocation of PPPs in areas of particular need. Local Department staff are consulted during the PPP allocation process and can advocate for PPP allocation on behalf of a service.

Resources

Detailed information about Pre-Purchased Places including eligibility criteria can be found in the Kindergarten Funding Guide.