Kindergarten Registration & Enrolment Review
Council is conducting a feasibility study for establishing a central process for registration and enrolment for Kindergarten in Mansfield Shire.
In line with the Department of Education (DE) Early Years Reform, Mansfield Shire Council in its early years planning and advocacy role, applied for funding to investigate the feasibility of a central scheme where children can be registration and enrolment (CRES).
This deeper look at registration and enrolment was timely with the roll-out of 15 hours of funded three-year-old kindergarten and the announcement of Pre-Prep (four-year-old kindergarten) which is set to commence in Mansfield from 2026.
Currently there are three funded sessional kindergarten services (Mansfield Kindergarten, The Farmhouse and Mansfield Rudolf Steiner School & Kindergarten) and one funded integrated kindergarten service operating within Centre Based Care facilities (Mansfield Community Cubby House) operating in Mansfield Shire.
Council plays a very limited role in kindergarten service provision but is the owner and asset manager of one kindergarten and one long day care building.
The study will focus on determining the feasibility of a central registration and enrolment scheme through examining the risks and benefits. The operating costs and cost recovery options are also key considerations.
Options to be explored are:
- Maintaining the current state
- Establishing a CRES that is developed and operated by Mansfield Shire Council.
- Contract the establishment and operation of a CRES to a third party.
The consultation process will include:
Kindergarten Providers - All kindergartens in the shire have been invited to a face-to-face interview and to complete a questionnaire. The responses will be collated in a Discussion Paper and the providers reconvene as a CRES Project Group to guide the feasibility study of CRES.
Parents/Caregivers - Parents/caregivers who have a child attending kindergarten this year and/or a child(ren) that have attended kindergarten previously are invited to complete the online survey found below. This survey will provide the opportunity for parents and caregivers to share their experiences of the enrolment and registration processes. This will allow better understanding of parent/caregiver views on a local CRES scheme.
Service Providers - Key service providers have been provided with a questionnaire to fill in to assist with understanding of what works well and what barriers exist in the registration and enrolment process. Maternal and Child Health, Family Services, Supported Playgroup, Child Protection, Child First, local primary schools and NDIS Providers are each engaged.
Learning from others
Other Local Government areas have learnings to share and exploring these learnings will help this project understand:
- How other sites explored feasibility
- Differing CRES models
- Reasons for going ahead with CRES
- Reasons for not going ahead with CRES
- 3rd party management options; and
- Cost recovery options.
Where to from here?
An informed model for implementation shall be based on
- Community consultation and collaboration,
- Research and DE requirements
A review of the research, actions and costings required to implement a sustainable model will be presented to Council, Stakeholders, and the community by June 2023.