Register Now for Teesdale Kindergarten
Kindergarten registrations are open year-round; however, to ensure your child's application is considered in the first round of offers, applications 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 | Monday 20 April to Friday 26 June |
| Term 3 | Monday 13 July to Friday 18 September |
| Term 4 | Monday 5 October to Friday 18 December |
A Place Where Young Minds Grow, Explore, and Thrive
Teesdale Kindergarten, proudly operated by the Golden Plains Shire Council, offers high-quality, free funded kindergarten programs for three- and four-year-old children in a warm, inclusive, and community-focused environment.
Our play-based curriculum is led by qualified early childhood educators who nurture each child’s development—building confidence, creativity, and essential life skills. We focus on supporting a smooth transition to school, while fostering strong connections between families, educators, and the local community.
Operated by the Golden Plains Shire Early Years Management team, Teesdale 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.
Teesdale 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.
Children
Children are valued and respected as individuals by educators through the rich connections created in relationships and recognised and appreciated as a member of a family, who in turn are part of a wider community. We will listen to children, learn about their identities and ways of being, so that we respond meaningfully to them to strengthen their wellbeing, confidence, independence, dispositions, knowledge and skills, and resilience as learners. We are committed to the safety, participation, and empowerment of all children, and adhering to the Child Safe Standards is our priority.
Families
At Teesdale Kindergarten, we respect and value the rich diversity of families, and we place significance on listening to, consulting, and building collaborative and enduring relationships with each individual family. We actively encourage families to share their knowledge, expertise and participate by contributing to the educational program, and work towards improving our service facilities through engaging in a variety of ways.
Educators
All educators advocate and place priority on children and families, commit to kindness, equitable and ethical practice, and being present in relationships with children and families, as a cornerstone to connecting in authentic and genuine ways. We engage with children’s interests, ideas, strengths, and challenges, as well as integrating ‘social justice’ and ‘big world issues’ as a springboard for developing high quality educational programs. Educators collaborate with children, families, community, professional services, and networks, to best support our children’s learning journey to reach optimal outcomes. We engage in critical reflections and ongoing learning about contemporary research and evidence-based approaches to inform best practice.
Community
At Teesdale Kindergarten we provide a welcoming surrounding that values multi-cultural diversity and a commitment to reconciliation, through an environment that supports social connection opportunities, and where a sense of belonging can be developed for all children, families, and community members. We aim to work collaboratively with community members by learning together, connecting with community experts and actively use local spaces as places to support children’s sense of belonging and learning.
Environment
At Teesdale Kindergarten we provide an environment that is welcoming, nurturing and aesthetically pleasing, with intentionally planned learning spaces that promote children to develop learning dispositions, encourage choice, enable risks, rest, play, wonder and discoveries. We intentionally set routines to allow children long periods of un-interrupted play to explore the wonderment of our indoor and outdoor environment.
Teesdale Kindergarten is situated on Wadawurrung Land and our community members respectfully acknowledges the original owners of the land. We are committed to preserving the unique outdoor play environment, which features native landscapes and flourishing vegetable and herb gardens, planted, and tended to by the children, which provides opportunities for exploration and learning for young children in a natural setting. We provide an active Bush Kindergarten program for the children, which embraces a love and respect for the natural environment and incorporates sustainable practices.
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.