Preschool at Edge

• Starting age: Preschool is for children aged at least 3 years of age by 30 April in the year they participate.
• Start date: Edge Preschool runs year-round, with up to 12-hour sessions each day. Within this, the government-approved and subsidised ‘Free Preschool’ program runs for 40 weeks per year aligning with ACT school terms.
• How many days a week: Our Preschool program runs Monday to Friday.
• Enrolment cut-off date:  Enrolments filling now for Preschool in 2026.

The ‘Free Preschool’ initiative is for all ACT families with a child aged at least 3 years old by 30 April in the year they participate.

If your child is already enrolled in our 2-year-old program at Edge Early Learning, they will seamlessly transition into Preschool. You don’t need to do anything.

Yes. The ACT Government will subsidise 7.5 hours per week of Preschool for 40 weeks per year for all eligible children attending a Preschool partner provider centre, regardless of your CCS eligibility. Outside of these subsidised hours, standard centre fees will apply.

Edge Preschool operates extended hours to meet your needs. This means your child can enrol in more than one day of Preschool each week. Any hours beyond the ‘Free Preschool’ 7.5 hours per week will be subsidised by the Childcare Subsidy (CCS). Your CCS subsidy level depends on your family’s individual circumstances, including your family’s income and how many hours your child is enrolled.

Edge Early Learning provides long daycare, meaning our centres are open from 6am or 7am and close at 6pm, so you can drop your child off on the way to work, for example, and pick them up on the way home. This gives you the flexibility to enrol your child in a government-approved 3-year-old Preschool program with the certainty of long day hours and year-round care to cater to your family’s schedule. You can calculate your childcare subsidy eligibility here.

The ACT ‘Free Preschool’ program subsidises the cost of the first 7.5 hours of Preschool per week. Any additional hours or days your child attends will then be offset by the Childcare Subsidy if your family is eligible.

The ACT Government subsidises 7.5 hours per week (300 hours per year) of fee-relief Preschool. The fee relief weeks usually align to school terms, meaning there are 12 weeks each year which will not be eligible for 3-year-old Preschool fee relief funding. During these weeks, families eligible to claim the Childcare Subsidy (CCS) will have their daily out-of-pocket fees subsidised according to their individual family circumstances and CCS entitlements.

You can claim both the Child Care Subsidy and ‘Free Preschool’ at the same time. The first 7.5 hours a week of Preschool is free for 40 weeks each year, and the Child Care Subsidy may cover some/all of the remaining cost of your child’s care, depending on your family’s individual circumstances. You can calculate your childcare subsidy eligibility here.

The Additional Childcare Subsidy (ACCS) will continue to be applied to your fees. There is no change to this arrangement.

No, you can only access funding at one centre for 7.5 hours a week over 40 weeks. You may be eligible to claim other government subsidies depending on your family’s circumstances.  

All children of families with a temporary resident visa cannot access the ‘Free Preschool’ program.

Throughout the Preschool year, you can expect to engage with our team across regular learning updates highlighting room activities and experiences​; personalised learning observations on your child’s development; and twice annually you’ll receive your child’s comprehensive learning summaries (Summative Assessments). As we transition your child through to school, we will also prepare a transition statement. Our team welcomes one-on-one conversations about your child’s development as needed.

Family Engagement at Edge