Kindergarten Central Registration

Registration for three- and four-year-old kindergarten in Hobsons Bay can be lodged via the online parent portal called the Central Registration System (CRS). On the portal, you will be able to create your family profile and register your child(ren) from the age of one year for three-year-old kindergarten and from the age of two years for four-year-old kindergarten. CRS will also allow you to update your personal details and kindergarten preferences online at any time.

Alternatively, you can download a 3-Year-Old Kindergarten Registration Form (PDF, 915KB)  or 4-Year-Old Kindergarten Registration Form (PDF, 683KB).

So that you have your paperwork ready when registering, you will need the following supporting documents:

• your child’s birth certificate or passport
• evidence of residency or rate payer (if applicable)
• evidence for Priority of Access criteria (if applicable)

If you have completed a paper registration form and you have the relevant supporting documentation attached, you can return the completed form to Council in person, by mail to Hobsons Bay City Council PO Box 21, Altona 3018, or by email to kindergarten@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au.

Online Parent Portal (CRS)

Three- and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten 2024 - Brochure(PDF, 574KB)

*Group times and days may change

For information on current vacancies, contact the Kindergarten Central Registration team on 9932 1534.

Three- and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten 2025 Timetable

Group selection for 2025 opens on Monday 22 April, 2024.

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Priority of Access

We use priority of access (PoA) when there are more eligible children seeking a place in a kindergarten than there are places available.

Priority one - High priority children (Department of Education criteria)

• Children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in out-of-home care
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children
• Asylum seeker and/or refugee children
• Children known to Child Protection or the child’s family has had contact with Child Protection
• Children with additional needs, defined by the Department of Education as children who:
  • have an identified specific disability or developmental delay
  • require additional assistance in order to fully participate in the kindergarten program
  • require a combination of services which are individually planned
  • children that meet the eligibility criteria for the kindergarten fee subsidy

Priority two

• Children of Hobsons Bay residents where the parent/guardian or child has a life-threatening or debilitating illness / disease.
• Children of Hobsons Bay residents where a parent/guardian has a disability.
• Children of Hobsons Bay who have attended or have a sibling who previously attended the families preferred kindergarten program.

Priority three

• Resident/ratepayer of Hobsons Bay.
• Parents/guardians who currently (or soon will) live in Hobsons Bay.
• Families who select their closest service as a first preference will be prioritised over those who do not.

Priority four

• Non-resident children who have a connection to Hobsons Bay and meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Child’s parent/guardian is working or studying within Hobsons Bay (minimum of 2 days per week).
• Child is attending formal or informal care in Hobsons Bay (minimum of 2 days per week).

Priority five

• Non-residents of Hobsons Bay

Where multiple children meet the priority one criteria and there are limited places available, registrations will be weighted based on the number of PoA criteria (within priority one, two and three) that the registrant meets. In the event that multiple children are weighted equally for a limited number of places, we will operate a random ballot for the equally ranked children to determine allocation.

More information about the priority of access and evidence required can be found here(PDF, 371KB).

Kindergarten central registration policy & procedures

This policy and procedure outlines the criteria, processes and priorities used when registering a child for funded three and four-year-old kindergarten programs through Hobsons Bay City Council’s Kindergarten Central Registration Scheme (CRS).

Kindergarten CRS Policy and Procedures 2024(PDF, 371KB)

Receiving an offer

Round 1 registration closes on Friday 31 May.

Following this, we will allocate kindergarten places to residents who submitted their registration & group preferences by the deadline. Non-residents who meet the Department of Education’s ‘High Priority’ criteria will also be allocated during Round 1.

In instances where more eligible children are seeking a place in a kindergarten than there are places available, we will use the Priority of Access to determine places.

Round 2 registration closes Friday 12 July.

For 2025 allocations, we will send out registrations during the week starting Monday 24 June, 2024:

Sending out offers over the week will better enable the central registration team to process offer responses and enquires. 

Offers will be sent via email and sms.

Responding to an offer

Families can respond to an offer via the online Parent Portal, or by replying to the offer via email.

Families have the following options to respond to offers:

What is next?

After you have accepted your offer, you will receive a confirmation email confirming you are placed in the group & centre.

Please note: there may be some delays in sending through this confirmation, as we will be dealing with a high volume of enquires.

We will send through 2025 registration lists to kindergarten services in September 2024. Until then, the kindergarten will not have your details.

More detail on the timeline is available here: Kindergarten Application Timeline 2024-25.pdf(PDF, 396KB)