This means:
- Free Kinder is available for all Victorian three- and four-year-old children at participating services.
- The roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten will continue, with programs increasing to 15 hours a week across the state by 2029.
- From 2025 to 2036, Four-Year-Old Kindergarten will transition to ‘Pre-Prep’ – a universal 30-hour-a-week program of play-based learning.
- Starting from 2025, 50 Victorian Government-owned and operated early learning and childcare centres will be established in areas that have unmet demand.
Estimated economic benefits
Analysis prepared for the Department of Treasury and Finance by Deloitte Access Economics shows that:
- By 2035-36, the Best Start, Best Life reforms are expected to result in an additional 73,200 children enrolling in kindergarten equivalent programs, create up to an additional 48,700 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs and increase the state’s annual real gross state product (GSP) by between $6.8 and $9.2 billion (in 2025 dollars).
By 2065-66, the Best Start, Best Life reforms are expected to result in an additional 97,000 children enrolling in kindergarten equivalent programs, boost Victoria’s workforce by up to 125,400 FTE jobs and increase the state’s annual real GSP by between $22.1 and $33.4 billion (in 2025 dollars).
A summary of this analysis can be found in the Deloitte Access Economics report.
Summary report: The economic impact of the Best Start, Best Life reforms
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Summary report: The economic impact of the Best Start, Best Life reforms
(opens in a new window)
Further information
More information on the Best Start, Best Life program can be found on the Victorian Government’s Best Start, Best Life reforms website.
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