This page explains how kindergarten placements are allocated and offered to children, specifically for 2026.
Receiving your kindergarten offer for 2026
Kindergarten offers start in August, the year before your child begins kindergarten.
Here is how it works:
- Offers for 3-year-old and 4-year-old kindergarten are sent separately.
- Offers are sent out approximately every four weeks and continue into the kindergarten year.
- Families are sent offers by email and SMS.
As the offer stage progresses, if your chosen kindergartens are full and you have said you will consider alternates, you may be offered different days, times, or locations from what you provided.
Important: Offer rounds and transfer rounds are undertaken separately. If your child is on the transfer waiting list, they will be considered for a place in transfer offer rounds. Further information on transfers can be found Transferring kindergartens and sessions | City of Casey..
How to respond to your offer
The offer email will explain how and when to reply.
If you don't reply in time:
- the offer will be cancelled
- your child will be taken off the waiting list
- you'll need to contact the Kindergarten Enrolment and Planning Team if you want to be added back to the waiting list.
What happens after you accept an offer?
Once you have accepted your child's offer of placement, your selected kindergarten will contact you later in the year with the next steps.
If you haven't received an offer
Families will get an email letting them know. If you change your first preference after offers start, your child's registration will be marked late, and this will reduce your child's score.
If families have difficulty accessing the link, they can email the Kindergarten Enrolment and Planning Team at kinderenrolment@casey.vic.gov.au.
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- Where is my child on the waiting list
We can't tell you where a child is on the waiting list as this changes daily.
Due to demand, there can be more children on the waiting list than places available. For full kindergartens, vacancies become available only when an offer is declined, or a family cancels a place.
Children remain on the waiting list until:- A place is offered and accepted
- The registration is cancelled.
- How kindergarten placements are allocated
The City of Casey must follow the Department of Education's (DE) Priority of Access guidelines when allocating kindergarten places.
Each child's registration is scored based on their family's circumstances. Then, places are allocated in this order:
- Children with priority based on the Department of Education criteria
- Children who fit within the City of Casey local criteria
- Children who do not fall within the City of Casey local criteria
If children have the same score, the system randomly allocates places to ensure a fair and equitable process.
Department of Education priority criteria
The Department of Education use the following criteria to identify high-priority children (families may be required to provide supporting documentation):
- Children at risk of abuse or neglect, including those in Out-of-Home Care and known to Child Protection (currently or in the past).
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children.
- Asylum seeker and refugee children (or parents).
- Child or parent holds a Commonwealth Health Care Card, Child Disability Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Department of Veterans' Affairs Gold or White Card.
- Triplets or more
- Children with additional needs who require additional assistance to fully participate in the kindergarten program and who can provide one of the following:
- A copy of your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) approval letter
- A copy of a letter identifying the specific disability or developmental delay
- letter of support or referral from a:
- Pre-school Field Officer
- Doctor or Paediatrician
- Maternal and Child Health Nurse
- Enhanced Maternal Child Health Nurse or Case Worker
- Early intervention support service
City of Casey local priority criteria
The City of Casey uses the following local criteria to identify priority children:
- Children who will have an additional year of funded kindergarten for 3-year-olds or 4-year-olds.
- Children who are attending one of our funded 3-year-old kindergartens within the City of Casey CRES.
- Children of City of Casey ratepayers and/or residents
Important: While priority is given to children who attend 3-year-old kindergarten within the CRES, it doesn't guarantee they will get a 4-year-old place at the same kindergarten.
Twins
The City of Casey aims to place twins in the same service/group where possible. Where this is not possible, families can:
- accept the offered place and request a transfer, or
- remain on the waiting list to be considered in future offer rounds.
What's not considered when allocating places:
- The date you registered for kindergarten
- Listing one kindergarten or session
- Living close to a kindergarten (they are not zoned)
More information
- Deferring kindergarten year
Children born between January and April may defer their kindergarten year to the following year. This must be decided before your child starts at kindergarten (excluding the orientation session).
To request this, email kinderenrolment@casey.vic.gov.au. Your child will then be included once offer rounds commence for the following year.
Important: If you are deferring your child's kindergarten year after accepting a place, that place will be cancelled and cannot be carried over. Your child will need to rejoin the waiting list.
- Transferring kindergarten or session
If you want to move your child to a different kindergarten or session, see our Request to transfer kindergartens webpage.
Note that offer rounds and transfer rounds are done separately. If your child is on the transfer waiting list, they will be considered for a placement during the transfer offer rounds.