16 JunEarly Start Kindergarten Now Available for Refugee and Asylum Seeker Children
Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) provides up to 15 hours per week of free or low-cost kindergarten for three-year-old children. From 2021, ESK is now available to children from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds in addition to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children known to Child Protection.
In Four-Year-Old Kindergarten, ESK extension grants are available to provide these cohorts of children with 15 hours per week of free or low-cost kindergarten. Together the ESK and ESK Extension grants ensure that eligible children have access to two years of funded kindergarten delivered by a degree qualified Early Childhood Teacher before school.
Services can support access for culturally and linguistically diverse families by using interpreting services, which are free to eligible services. Telephone interpreting services can be accessed by phoning VITS Language Loop on (03) 9280 1955 or emailing bookings@languageloop.com.au.
Early childhood services should continue to enrol all eligible children in ESK through the Kindergarten Information System (KIM) system, even if funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten is available at the service. This guarantees that:
- ESK eligible children access a kindergarten program for 15 hours per week
- Your service receives all School Readiness Funding (SRF) entitlements, as ESK factors into these calculations.
For more information about ESK, visit ESK for Professionals or contact your local DET office. Families can find out more about ESK by visiting ESK for Parents.
Updated print materials for ESK can be ordered free of charge here or are digitally available here:
Brochure: Early Start Kindergarten
Postcard: Early Start Kindergarten
Factsheet: ESK information for Early Childhood Education and Care Services
