Knox Council welcomes three not-for-profit and two independent kindergarten providers who from next year will deliver kindergarten in all stand-alone Council buildings where kindergartens are currently operating.
The five new providers are KU Children's Services, One Tree Community Services, Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania), Ferntree Gully 3 Year Old Preschool and Liberty Avenue 3 Year Old Kindergarten.
This follows Council's decision in August last year not to run stand-alone sessional kindergarten services, other than in the two Knox Children and Family Centres, and make its buildings available to other providers from 2025.
Knox Mayor, Cr Jude Dwight said the appointment of the five new providers was the culmination of a lengthy and thorough public expressions of interest and tender process.
"From 2025, Council will make its stand-alone kindergarten buildings available to these five new providers, who are all specialist, not-for-profit and independent providers of sessional kindergarten as distinct from long day care," she said.
"Families can be reassured of continued quality kindergarten, as we have now in Knox. All kindergarten providers have to meet national quality standards and regulations. Every service is assessed and rated against seven areas of quality, and these ratings are published publicly.
"This new arrangement brings Council in line with how most other councils across Melbourne operate and ensures a continuation of free, quality, stand-alone sessional kindergarten for Knox families."
The five new kindergarten providers are all licensed to operate kindergartens in Victoria.
Families who have registered for kindergarten places in 2025 have been notified directly.
Council will continue to provide centralised registrations to streamline the process for families into the future.
There will be no changes to kindergarten for families enrolled this year.
These changes won't come into effect until January 2025. We will continue to run kindergarten services in 2024, offering 15 hours a week for both three- and four-year-olds.
Proposed groups and session times for 2025 are available on our website. Final groups and session times will be based on the registrations we receive.
You can register for places at the following kindergartens in Knox:
- Alexander Magit, Ferntree Gully - KU Children's Services
- Bena Angliss, Ferntree Gully - One Tree Community Services
- Billoo Park, Wantirna - One Tree Community Services
- Cooinda, Boronia - Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania)
- Eildon Parade, Rowville - One Tree Community Services
- Flamingo, Wantirna - Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania)
- FW Kerr, Ferntree Gully - KU Children's Services
- Haering Road, Boronia - One Tree Community Services
- Knox Children and Family Centre, Bayswater - Knox City Council
- Knox Children and Family Centre, Wantirna South - Knox City Council
- Knoxfield, Knoxfield - KU Children's Services
- Liberty Avenue, Rowville - Liberty Avenue 3 Year Old Kindergarten
- Mariemont, Wantirna - KU Children's Services
- Murrindal, Rowville - Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania)
- Riddell Road, Wantirna South - KU Children's Services
- Scoresby West, Scoresby - Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania)
- The Basin, The Basin - Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania)
- The Fields, Rowville - KU Children's Services
- Wattleview, Ferntree Gully - Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania)
- Windermere, Ferntree Gully - Ferntree Gully 3 Year Old Preschool
Stay up to date at knox.vic.gov.au/kindergarten
