The Victorian Government recently announced $5.2 million to help local councils operate Central Registration and Enrolment Scheme services.
Campaspe Shire is among the local councils set to benefit from the extra funding.
According to the council’s communities director Jo Bradshaw the funding will allow families to enrol for free.
“Campaspe Shire Council will receive additional state government funding towards its central enrolment systems which means that families can enrol via the scheme at no cost whereas, in the past, a small administration fee has been collected,” she said.
Council has provided local families a CRES for several years to support local families and caregivers in securing kindergarten spots for their children.
The scheme provides families a single point access to all available kindergarten services, with families able to nominate up to three preferences for kindergarten locations.
Offers are then made using a priority of access criteria set by the Department of Education, which promotes inclusive and equitable access to services.
Centralised systems also allow services to identify families who may be experiencing disadvantage and proactively engage with them, with direct links to other council-run services such as maternal and child health programs.
More than 70,000 children across Victoria are enrolled through CRES, representing more than half of all enrolments.