Who

To be eligible to enrol in kindergarten and access a Pre-Purchased Place, a child must be three by the 30th of April in the year they are going to start kinder and:

• identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, OR
• be identified on their birth certificate as being a multiple birth child (triplets or more)
• be known to Child Protection.
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The child is also eligible if they hold, or have a parent or guardian who holds, one of the following:

• Commonwealth Health Care Card
• Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card
• Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Card or White Card
• Refugee or Asylum Seeker visa (200-204, 786 or 866)
• Bridging visas for any of the above Refugee or Asylum Seeker visas.
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Within this eligible cohort, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children known to Child Protection, including those in out-of-home care, children from refugee backgrounds and children with additional needs, should be prioritised for Pre-Purchased Places.

What is available

Pre-purchased places ensure that children who enrol outside of typical timeframes are able to access a three or four 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 a high enrolment rate of children experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage
• 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 Child FIRST/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 regional Department staff 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.‍