Enrolment

Everyone is welcome at Ripponlea Kindergarten. You do not need to live in a particular area to apply.

Book a tour

We invite you to join us for a tour. Please complete the registration form to make a booking.

Waiting list

We manage our own waitlist. Families no longer need to apply to the City of Glen Eira to get a spot.  While we review every name on our waiting list, registering your child's name does not guarantee you a place.

We are currently accepting applications for 2026, 2027 and 2028.

How to apply

  1. Complete the waiting list form.
  2. Pay the $40 administration fee. 
  3. If you haven't already, contact us to book a tour.

You are exempt from paying the administration fee if your child is in a high-priority group.

Go to waiting list

Enrolment cycle

In May each year, we hold our annual Open Day and ask current families in our 3-year-old groups if they will continue into 4-year-old kinder the next year. This allows us to determine the number of places we will have available.

First-round offers are emailed before the end of June and any places declined are offered to the next family on the waiting list.


Starting age

3-year-old kinder

You can apply for kinder if your child is turning 3 by 30 April. To actually start kinder, your child must have turned 3.

4-year-old kinder

Your child can start kinder if they are turning 4 by 30 April.

How we offer places

We follow the Ripponlea Kindergarten Enrolment Policy when offering places at our kinder.

If we have more applicants than places available, we use VicGov's Priority of Access criteria to decide who is offered a place first.

We also work with other local kinders and the local Early Childhood Improvement Branch to make sure all eligible children can access a kindergarten place somewhere.

Who gets priority?

When we have more applicants than places, we follow VicGov's Priority of Access criteria.

First priority goes to children including:

  • Children at risk of abuse or neglect, including children in Out-of-Home Care

  • Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children

  • Asylum seeker and refugee children

  • Children or families with a concession card

  • Children from families with multiple births (triplets or more)

  • Children or families with additional needs who need extra support to fully participate in kinder

  • Children accessing an additional year of funded kinder.

The VicGov website has information about what evidence is needed for first priority children.

Second priority goes to children currently attending the kinder.

After that, and in line with our own enrolment policy, we give priority to siblings of children currently enrolled or previously attended. Remaining places are then allocated by waiting list date order.

Fees

We participate in the Victoria Government's Free Kinder initiative, which means there are no compulsory fees or expenses to attend Ripponlea Kindergarten.

While we are grateful for the funding provided by the Victoria Government, it is not sufficient to cover the full cost of our high-quality programs. Each term there is a funding gap for each child.

We meet the balance of costs through voluntary contributions and fundraising activities. Voluntary contributions are completely optional, but they help us to cover costs so we can deliver our programs at the right standard.

Voluntary contribution requests are sent at the beginning of each term. For 2026, we requested $300 per term.