General guidelines

Public preschools enrol children for one year only, the year before they start school.

Children can enrol from the beginning of the school year if they turn four years of age before 31 July that year.

Preschool classes are a resource, shared across communities of schools. Unlike primary schools, there are no enrolment boundaries for public preschools. Enrolment in a preschool class within a school does not automatically translate to an entitlement to enrol in that school for Kindergarten.

Public preschools have an obligation to provide education for all children, including those with disability, and ensure every child can participate on the same basis as their peers.

Enrolment priority

Priority is given to:

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children
• children living in low socio-economic circumstances
• children who are unable to access other early childhood settings due to financial hardship.

The principal of the school will then offer enrolment in the following order:

• children living within the school's catchment area
• children living outside the catchment area but have siblings at the school
• other applicants

Principals make every effort to ensure places are filled. Where vacancies exist, following the enrolment priorities, principals may:

• offer additional days to children who are currently enrolled
• offer places to 3-year-old children in consultation with the school Director, Educational Leadership and the Director, Early Learners.

Preschool fees

The NSW Government provides fee relief to support the enrolment of children in public preschools. Fees are not charged for preschool enrolment, attendance, waiting list applications or specialist programs.

Days and hours of operation

Public preschools are open for children to attend for 6 hours a day and operate on the same days as all NSW public schools, see dates for school terms.

Attendance patterns

Each preschool makes a local decision in consultation with their community about the attendance pattern offered to ensure each child is offered 600 hours of preschool over the year (or 15 hours a week).

Approved attendance patterns are:

• A 5-day fortnight program, with children attending 3 days one week and 2 days in the alternate week (12 hours one week and 18 hours the next), or
• Alternate semesters or terms, with children attending 2 days a week in one term or semester, and 3 days in the alternate term or semester.

Application to enrol

• Families seeking to enrol their child in a public preschool should firstly contact the relevant school directly for information about their enrolment procedure.
• Families can express interest in enrolling their child by completing and submitting to the school an expression of interest to enrol in a NSW public preschool (PDF 316.2 KB).
• If more expressions of interest are received than available places, the school principal will form a placement panel to assess these.
• The placement panel will offer enrolment to children according to the priorities listed in the Enrolment in public preschools policy.
• Families offered a place for their child will be asked to complete the Application to enrol in a NSW public preschool (PDF 713 KB) and supply supporting documentary evidence.
• Translated versions of the preschool enrolment application are available.

Immunisation

Preschools cannot enrol a child unless their family provides an Australian Immunisation Register Immunisation History Statement form that shows their child:

• is fully immunised for their age, or;
• has a medical reason not to be vaccinated, or;
• is on a recognised catch-up schedule.

Read more about immunisation.

There is a 12-week temporary exemption for supply of the Immunisation History Statement for:

• an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child
• a child evacuated during a state of emergency
• a child in out-of-home care.

Birth certificates

Families must provide evidence of their child's full name and date of birth. However, if no birth certificate is available, this can be shown through a secondary document, for example:

• passport
• Immicard
• Blue Book or Personal health record
• hospital birth card
• baptism, christening, name giving or similar record.

If none of these documents are available, a statuary declaration can be supplied stating the date of birth of the child and the reason why such a document is not available.

Preschools designated for Aboriginal students

• Eleven designated preschools cater specifically for Aboriginal children.
• When vacancies occur every effort is made to ensure places are filled by Aboriginal children. This includes offering places to 3-year-old Aboriginal children.
• If there are insufficient Aboriginal enrolments, places may be offered to non-Aboriginal children, although a buffer of two places must be maintained for future Aboriginal enrolments.
• When prioritising applications, preschools in communities with significant numbers of Aboriginal children should liaise with the local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG).

Distance education preschool programs

• A limited number of preschools offer programs through distance education for geographically isolated children, unable to access any other children's services.
• Designation of sites that provide preschool programs via distance education is determined on a needs basis every 3 years.
• Find more information at Rural and distance education.

Temporary residents in preschools

• Preschool children who are temporary residents may enrol in public preschools under the same conditions as Australian citizens.
• The schedule of visa subclasses and enrolment conditions (PDF 125 KB) provides information on access to public preschools for each of the temporary visa subclasses.
• Temporary residents who hold visitor or tourist visas are not eligible for enrolment.
• Preschool children who are temporary visa holders are not liable for the temporary residents’ application or tuition fees.

Early intervention classes

Enrolment in an Early intervention class is through an access request application. Parents and carers should contact their local public school for support with this process, or contact their local delivery support team on 131 536.