Register Now for Inverleigh Kindergarten
Kindergarten registrations are open year-round; however, to ensure your child's application is considered in the first round of offers, application should be submitted prior to the end of term 2 in the year proceeding enrolment.
Please note: the date of receipt of application does not form part of the kindergarten allocation of place process.
Contact Details
2026 Term Dates
| Term 1 | Tuesday 27 January to Thursday 2 April |
| Term 2 | Tuesday 21 April to Friday 26 June |
| Term 3 | Tuesday 14 July to Friday 18 September |
| Term 4 | Monday 5 October to Friday 18 December |
Inspiring young minds, one step at a time
Inverleigh Kindergarten is nestled in a natural bush setting, surrounded by large shade trees, a spacious vegetable garden, and an orchid. The generous indoor and outdoor learning environments allow the team to create diverse learning opportunities that promote physical and sensory development, encourage creativity, and foster environmental awareness.
Adjacent to the local train track, the rhythmic clatter of the wheels and the sounding of the horn send the children into a flurry of joy and excitement. They eagerly run to the specially built window in the fence line to watch the colorful carriages swiftly move by.
Inverleigh Kindergarten offers a comprehensive and supportive environment that fosters early childhood development and prepares children for their future educational journey. The service welcomes and encourages participation from the ELC community and benefits from having a Maternal and Child Health service on-site.
Operated by the Golden Plains Shire Early Years Management team, Inverleigh Kindergarten currently provides 15 hours of funded sessional kindergarten for 3 and 4-year-olds. The kindergarten is participating in the Best Start Best Life reform, offering free kindergarten under this scheme.
Inverleigh Kindergarten is part of the Central Registration and Enrolment Scheme (CRES), managed by the CRES team at Golden Plains Shire Council.
When should your child start kindergarten?
It is important families understand when their child starts at kindergarten it directly relates to the age they will start primary school. Families are encouraged to consider multiple factors when enrolling their child in 3-year-old kindergarten.
Reflective Documentation
At Inverleigh Kindergarten, we strive to make children's learning visible. We have an emphasis on showcasing and celebrating children's interests, strengths, and processes of learning, not only ‘end results’. Ways in which educators do this include creating displays of children’s work through photography and note taking, and through sharing our observations with children and their families. We do this in a child centred way, valuing the importance of the child's own voice, perspective and dignity.
Educators critically reflect on our professional practise on a daily basis, providing rich opportunities, for professional, individual, and service enhancement. We also value ongoing reflective feedback from our local community. We are guided by this reflection on our practises, our Quality Improvement Plan, and our relationships and conversations with children, families and educators.
Intentional Teaching
We have high expectations for every child and ensure that each child is included, accepted, respected, and develops a sense of belonging by receiving genuine opportunities to access and participate within the program.
We have a large emphasis on building resilience, building respect and displaying kindness towards those around you. These are integrated into our daily conversations as well as through individual service programs.
Educators make curriculum decisions based on the understanding that learning through play is fundamental as it stimulates, engages and integrates a wide range of children's intellectual, physical, social and creative abilities. We embrace our beautiful historic town and ensure our children learn about its rich culture. We ensure that we reflect daily on our connections to country.
We ensure that the children are part of the decision-making processes, emphasising their voices throughout the program.
We use a strength-based approach to our curriculum which is underpinned by the Early Years Frameworks, National Quality Standards, Code of Ethics and the Rights of the Child.
We promote children to be inquisitive, develop curiosity, be risk takers, develop problem solving skills, and foster a love of learning.
Respectful Partnerships
At Inverleigh Kindergarten we embrace the understanding that each child and each family is unique. We work together with children to create inclusive environments and programs, that reflect, respect and celebrate diversity - including diversity of experiences, families, cultures, languages, beliefs, abilities, genders, histories, interests, needs and learning styles.
We believe it is important for a child’s sense of belonging and wellbeing, as well as their learning and development, to weave strong relationships between the kindergarten and the child's other worlds: their family, their community, their culture, and their local environment. We are committed to fostering such strong relationships through listening deeply to children and their families. We are also committed to engaging in clear, open and honest communication demonstrating professionalism, confidentiality an ethical conduct with families, other professionals, community groups and colleagues.
As a team of educators, we respect and value one another and the rich experiences, perspectives, insights and knowledge that we each bring. We learn from one another and work together to create rich and diverse learning programs for children.
Engaging environment
At Inverleigh kindergarten, we acknowledge that the child's wellbeing, learning and development is in many ways greatly influenced by their surroundings and their relationships with them. As such, we feel very lucky to be in our beautiful, nature rich setting with native Australian eucalyptus and she-oak trees, established fruit trees, herb and vegetable gardens and resident birds such as wrens, honeyeaters and kookaburras. We know that children benefit from spending time outdoors in nature and we aim to enjoy our outdoor space throughout the seasons and the elements, ensuring the children are well equipped with appropriate clothing.
Educators are continually seeking sustainable practises for children's play and surroundings, and we ensure that children are learning about the benefits of more sustainable living.
Our indoor spaces are always rich in opportunity, provide open-ended experiences, allowing the children to lead the way.
Both indoors and out, we create spaces for calm and rest, as well as areas for physical and dynamic movement for all children. Educators provide materials that invite exploration, challenge, and opportunities to be innovative.
Together with children we remember and discuss every day that this beautiful place where we are learning and playing - indoors and out is Wadawurrung Country and we Acknowledge Country and pay our respects to the Wadawurrung People who have been caring for this country for thousands of generations.
In order for your child to be eligible to attend three-year-old kindergarten they must have turned three (3) by 30th April in the year of enrolment.
Families and carers with children born between January and April can choose in which year to start three-year-old kindergarten! They may choose to send their child in the year that they are turning three (3)* or start the following year to align with the school starting age.
A child is only able to access one (1) year of government funded three-year-old kindergarten and must be enrolled in only one (1) funded kindergarten program at any one time.
Children accessing three-year-old kindergarten will transition to four-year-old kindergarten the following year.
Due to child to educator ratios, an enrolled child will not be permitted to commence at the kindergarten until they are three (3) years of age.
*the child must have turned three (3) by 30th April in the year of enrolment.
In order for your child to be eligible to attend four-year-old kindergarten they must have turned four (4) by 30th April in the year of enrolment.
Children meeting the criteria for a second year of four-year-old kindergarten will be eligible to access one additional year of kindergarten prior to starting school.
To ensure a fair, equitable and transparent allocation of kindergarten places, each registration is given weighting based on the Victorian Department of Education Priority of Access followed by our locally agreed criteria.
Enrolment requirements in Victoria
By law, to finalise enrolment for your child in long day care, kindergarten, family day care or occasional care, you must provide the service with a current immunisation history statement from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) that shows your child is up to date with all the immunisations that are due or able to receive for their age.
What is an immunisation history statement?
It is a statement from the AIR that shows what vaccines your child has received and, if applicable, which vaccines are due in the future and when.
All vaccines recorded on the AIR will appear on your child’s immunisation history statement. You do not need to do anything to get your child on the AIR. Your vaccination provider will tell the AIR when they give your child a vaccine and which vaccines they have given.
Vaccines on the National Immunisation Program Schedule are provided free.
What is this document used for?
To finalise enrolment. To accept an offered place at a service, you must provide a current immunisation history statement. This is usually done within two months before your child is due to start at the service.
To keep children safe. If there is a disease outbreak at the service, the document is used to identify children at risk (for example, children too young or those who cannot be fully immunised against a disease) who may need to stay away from the service until it is safe for them to return.
What if I cannot get a statement?
In some circumstances, a 16 week ‘support period’ (also known as the ‘grace period’) can be applied, so your child can start at the service while you arrange to get a statement.