When it comes to early childhood education, parents face a lot of information, and rightly have a whole bunch of questions.

What are the benefits of sending kids to kinder? How much does it cost? When's the right time to send them? Once you decide to do so, how do you even begin to choose a service?

When it comes to those big questions, my attitude is that it's best to go straight to the experts — which is why I asked Dr Anne Kennedy AM, the director of The Front Project and part of the Department of Education's Best Start, Best Life taskforce advisory group, to set the record straight on kinder in Victoria.

Dr Kennedy is such an experienced consultant in the childhood education sector that she's been made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to early childhood education. In short? When it comes to those important (sometimes curly) questions, she's got the answers.

What parents need to know about the Free Kinder Victoria program.

Let's start with the basics, because there are a lot of names for different early childhood and early school learning across states and territories in Australia, which can lead to confusion.

In Victoria, kindergarten ("kinder") is an early childhood education program for children aged three and four. It's led by qualified early childhood teachers, and it runs for two years before primary school. Through the Victorian Government's Free Kinder program, children can attend a funded kinder program in a standalone sessional service, or a long daycare service — which saves families up to almost $2,700 per year. Free Kinder is available to all Victorian families, regardless of family income.

What are the benefits of kinder?

Dr Kennedy acknowledges that many families are well set up to give their children a wide range of experiences to help them grow. Even so, it's her view that kindergarten provides something very unique to children in the two years prior to starting primary school.

"Socialising, playing and learning together with other children who are a similar age is an important foundation for skills they need for when they move on to school," she told Mamamia.

"At home, children have learnt to belong to a family group. Once they come into kinder, they're meeting a much broader range of children. That's where the next stage of learning is starting to happen: it can be a big moment of 'hang on, they don't all agree with me here!' That's an important piece of learning for a young child and critical to their development."

At school, children will be playing in bigger groups and socialising both in the classroom and on the playground, and kindergartens are laying those foundational skills.

"These years before school are a really rapid time for development," Dr Kennedy said. "Language starts to become more sophisticated, they learn to express needs, to understand what it means to be a friend and how to make a friend. Alongside that, they're physically developing, with fine and big motor skills improving. And of course, they're very curious — all the why questions. That's fantastic because that's evidence of the brain working and cognition happening that they want to know."

With 90 per cent of a child's brain developing by the age of five, attending kinder is an important part of physical and emotional growth, building skills across literacy and numeracy, problem-solving, creativity, empathy, motor skills and emotional resilience and regulation.

What are some myths about kinder?

Contrary to some common misconceptions, kindergartens aren't just an extension of daycare or "mini-schools".

"Kinders work under an early years learning framework," Dr Kennedy explained. "It's not highly prescriptive, but it does give educators guidance around what outcomes they should be looking for around language, cognition, social skills and identity. That helps them assess where children are, what their strengths are, as well as building on their interests and getting a picture of the whole child."

In other words, unlike school, kindergarten teachers aren't beholden to a strict syllabus or curriculum, meaning they can use play-based learning to respond to the children in front of them. Dr Kennedy explains that kinder teachers and educators are always on the lookout for skills they can build on and areas for improvement in young children.

"A child might be physically very robust but doesn't get along well with other children, or want to play with other kids, but their language skills aren't quite there yet. That's typical development — to have strengths in one area, and areas for development in another. Kinder programs work on all those domains of development, so kids can go off to school confidently."

The other common comment Dr Kennedy hears about kinder is at the other end of the spectrum: "What's the point if they're just playing? They can play at home."

"That's a misunderstanding," she told Mamamia. "Play is the way this age group learns best. While it might look easy — you might look at a day at kinder and think, I could set that up myself — the educator has deliberately chosen what will be out, how it will be displayed, and who they want to go where. There is much more intentionality than is sometimes obvious."

But kinders also don't disregard what parents already know about their children. On the contrary, as Dr Kennedy explained, kinder emphasises a combination of teacher and parent expertise.

"You've got the parent's expertise in their child — you can't undervalue that, they've raised them from babyhood, know everything about them and love them intensely. But as a kindergarten teacher, you know children in general. It's those two pieces of that puzzle that come together at kindergarten."

When should children start kinder?

The Victorian government's Free Kinder program runs for the two years before a child is due to start school, meaning it's open to three- and four-year-olds. If you have any doubt as to when your child is eligible to start kinder, Dr Kennedy recommends using the Starting Age Calculator.

How can families choose the right kinder for their child?

"In Victoria, families should look for services with the Kinder Tick. That means the service is government approved and meets quality standards," Dr Kennedy explained.

"If they're not sure, parents should visit one or two services. My best advice is for parents to trust their instincts. If you and your child feel comfortable and welcome, then that is the right kinder for you."

To enrol your child in kindergarten, speak with your preferred kinder service or local council. Find a government-approved Kinder near you.

Featured image: Getty.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VIC Government

In Victoria, all children can access Free Kinder for two years before school at both sessional kindergartens and long day care services, saving families up to $2,700 per child, per year. Free Kinder is available statewide and delivered by qualified educators through play-based learning, supporting children to build confidence, independence and social skills. Enrolments for 2027 are now open, and places for 2026 may still be available. Families are encouraged to enquire early.

Learn more about Free Kinder at www.vic.gov.au/kinder