free preschool and kindergarten by state: what's funded for 3 and 4-year-olds in 2026

state-by-state summary table

victoria — free kinder and pre-prep

victoria has the most generous funded preschool program in the country. free kinder is available for both 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds:

• 3-year-old kinder: 5 to 7.5 hours per week of funded kindergarten, delivered at standalone kinders or long day care centres. the program is free at participating services — families pay no out-of-pocket for the funded hours
• 4-year-old kinder: 15 hours per week of funded kindergarten. again, free at participating sessional kindergartens and subsidised at long day care centres
• pre-prep (from 2025):victoria is progressively rolling out a 30-hour-per-week "pre-prep" year for 4-year-olds, starting in selected areas. this is a full school-day-equivalent program that will eventually replace the current 15-hour 4-year-old kinder. check with your local council whether pre-prep is available in your area yet

at standalone sessional kindergartens, the funded hours are genuinely free. at long day care centres, the state funding covers the kinder component but you'll pay for the rest of the day — though CCS applies to the remaining fee.

new south wales — universal pre-kindergarten

nsw provides 600 hours per year of free or low-cost preschool for children in the year before school (typically 4-year-olds). this works out to roughly 15 hours per week during school terms.

the state is rolling out universal pre-kindergarten, a major reform that will eventually provide every 4-year-old with a year of play-based learning before school. the program is being delivered through community preschools, long day care centres, and new purpose-built facilities.

at community preschools, the 600 funded hours are free or come with minimal fees. at long day care centres, the funding reduces the daily fee but there's typically a gap for the hours outside the funded program — CCS applies to that gap.

queensland — free kindy

queensland offers free kindy — 15 hours per week of funded kindergarten for children in the year before prep (typically turning 4 by 30 june). the program runs during school terms.

free kindy is available at approved kindergarten services, including standalone kindy programs and kindy programs within long day care centres. at standalone services, it's genuinely free. at long day care centres, the state funding covers the kindy component and CCS can apply to the rest of the day.

western australia — free kindergarten

in western australia, kindergarten is free at government schools for children turning 4 by 30 june. it runs as a school program — typically 5 half-days per week during school terms.

because it's a school-based program, there are no fees and no CCS interaction. the trade-off is limited hours — roughly 12.5 hours per week — which doesn't cover a full working day. if you need longer care, you'll need to arrange additional childcare separately, which would be CCS-eligible.

south australia — free preschool

south australia offers free preschool for 4-year-olds at government preschools, providing 15 hours per week during school terms. preschools are usually co-located with primary schools or run as standalone government services.

at government preschools, the program is free — no fees apply. some families choose to access their child's preschool program through a long day care centre instead, where the centre may receive state funding but parents pay for the extended hours with CCS applied.

tasmania — no funded preschool year

tasmania is the outlier. there is no separate funded preschool year— kindergarten is the first year of school, and children start at age 5. there's no state-funded program equivalent to victoria's kinder or queensland's kindy for 4-year-olds.

this means tasmanian families rely on long day care centres, family day care, or private preschools for early learning before school — all of which are CCS-eligible if approved. the upside is CCS applies fully; the downside is there's no free state option.

ACT — free preschool

the ACT provides 15 hours per week of free preschool for 4-year-olds at government preschools, which are typically attached to primary schools. the program runs during school terms, usually 9am to 3pm three days per week or equivalent.

government preschool is free with no out-of-pocket costs. if you need before/after preschool care or additional days, you'll need to use a separate CCS-eligible service.

northern territory — free preschool

the NT offers 15 hours per week of free preschool for 4-year-olds at government preschools. like the ACT, these are usually co-located with primary schools and run during school terms.

the program is free. families needing additional hours will need to arrange long day care or family day care separately, with CCS applying to those services.

standalone preschool vs long day care: where you access funded hours matters

how "free" your child's preschool year actually is depends heavily on where you access the funded program:

• standalone (sessional) preschool: these are government or community-run services that only operate during the funded hours — typically 9am to 3pm, school terms only. your child attends for the funded sessions and goes home. the funded hours are genuinely free or very low cost. no CCS applies because the state is already funding the program
• long day care centre (LDC-integrated):many long day care centres deliver the state's funded kinder or preschool program within their preschool room. the state funding covers the educational component (e.g., 15 hours), but the centre charges for the full day (e.g., 10-11 hours). you pay the gap between the funded hours and the full day fee. the good news is CCS applies to the full daily fee, which significantly reduces the gap

for working families, the LDC-integrated option is usually more practical — you get the funded kinder program plus full-day care in one place, with CCS helping cover the cost. for families where a parent is home, standalone preschool is often the cheapest option.

how CCS interacts with funded kindergarten hours

this is the part that trips most families up. here's how it works:

• state funding and CCS don't stack on the same hours.if the state pays for 15 hours of kinder, you can't also claim CCS on those same 15 hours. you'd be double-dipping
• at standalone government preschools:the state pays for the program. there's no fee, so there's nothing for CCS to subsidise. CCS doesn't apply
• at long day care centres:the state funding reduces the centre's fee. CCS is then calculated on the remaining fee after the state subsidy. in practice, this means you benefit from both — state funding brings the fee down, then CCS brings it down further
• the "gap fee" at LDC:if your child attends a long day care centre for a full day but only 6 of those hours are state-funded kinder hours, you're charged for the full day minus the state contribution. CCS applies to what's left. this is why some families see very low out-of-pocket costs during the kinder year at LDC

use our Child Care Subsidy calculator to estimate your out-of-pocket costs with and without state funding applied.

how to access your state's funded program

• register early. waitlists for popular standalone preschools can be long — 12 months or more in some areas. contact your local council or state education department for registration timelines
• check eligibility dates. each state has a specific age cutoff (usually the child must turn 4 by 30 april or 30 june of the year). confirm the date for your state
• ask your LDC centre. if your child is already in long day care, ask the centre whether they deliver the state-funded kinder program. many do — and they handle the funding application for you
• consider your work situation. if both parents work full-time, LDC-integrated kinder is likely more practical. if a parent is home, standalone preschool keeps costs at zero
• don't forget the activity test. if you access funded kinder through a long day care centre and claim CCS on the gap, you still need to meet the CCS activity test for CCS-subsidised hours

frequently asked questions