Kindergarten at Edge

• Starting age: Kindy is for children aged at least 4 years of age by 30 June in the year before they start Prep.
• Start date: Edge Kindergarten runs year-round, with up to 12-hour sessions each day. Within this, the government-approved and subsidised ‘Free Kindy’ program runs for 40 weeks per year aligning with Queensland school terms.
• How many days a week: Our Kindergarten program runs Monday to Friday. To be eligible for the Queensland government ‘Free Kindy’ subsidy, your child must attend a minimum of 2 days each week.
• Enrolment cut-off date:  Enrolments filling now for Kindergarten in 2026.

The ‘Free Kindy’ initiative is for all Queensland families with a child aged at least 4 years old by 30 June in the year before they start Prep. Use the Queensland Government’s eligibility calculator to check when your child is eligible to enrol in the program. It’s quick and easy!

If your child is already enrolled in pre-kindergarten at Edge Early Learning, they will seamlessly transition into Kindergarten. You don’t need to do anything.

Yes. The Queensland Government will subsidise 15 hours per week of ‘Free Kindy’ for 40 weeks per year for all eligible children attending an eligible early learning centre, regardless of your CCS eligibility. Outside of these subsidised hours, standard centre fees will apply.

The Queensland Government subsidises 15 hours per week (600 hours per year) of ‘Free Kindy’. The ‘Free Kindy’ weeks usually align to school terms, meaning there are 12 weeks each year which will not be eligible for ‘Free Kindy’ 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 entitlements.

Edge Kindergarten operates extended hours to meet your needs. This means your child can enrol in more than two days of Kindergarten each week. Any hours beyond the ‘Free Kindy’ 15 hrs 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 to 6pm with some centres opening at 6:30am and closing at 6:30pm, 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 Kindy 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 QLD ‘Free Kindy’ program subsidises the cost of the first 15 hours of Kindy per week. Any additional hours or days your child attends will then be offset by the Childcare Subsidy if your family is eligible.

You can claim both the Child Care Subsidy and ‘Free Kindy’ at the same time. The first 15 hours a week of kindy 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 15 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 on the Refugee and Humanitarian Visa and children of families with a temporary resident visa can access the ‘Free Kindy’ program.

Throughout the Kindy 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