What the KISP does
The KISP helps everyone understand and plan for kindergarten demand in Knox:
- Provides a shared evidence base for planning kindergarten places
- Identifies areas of unmet demand and highlights where supplementary local context should be considered
- Guides families, providers, and Council in making informed decisions
- Supports strategic planning and advocacy without creating legal obligations
Learn more about the Knox KISP
Council's role vs State
Council works with the Victorian Government to plan and provide insights about local demand.
What Council does:
- Analyse data on demand and capacity across the municipality
- Include local context, including surplus capacity and actual service usage patterns
- Publish information about unmet demand and surplus capacity
What Council does NOT do:
- Decide where new kindergartens should be built
- Directly deliver new kindergarten services
Understanding the local context
The KISP highlights unmet demand, but it does not capture surplus capacity in neighbouring areas. Council has added a Local Context Section to provide a more accurate view of service availability.
Key considerations:
- Population projections may be overstated compared to recent birth registrations
- SA2 boundaries used in the modelling do not always reflect local travel patterns or service access
- The KISP framework focuses solely on unmet demand, overlooking areas of surplus capacity
How families access kindergarten
Knox uses Local Community Areas (LCAs) to manage kindergarten allocations:
- Families register for kindergartens within their LCA or in neighbouring areas if their preferred kindergarten is full
- Surplus capacity in nearby areas helps meet demand
- This ensures children have access to early learning, even if individual kindergartens are full
View our Kindergarten groups and sessions webpage for more information on LCA's.
Understanding the numbers
The KISP shows projected demand for kindergarten places:
| Year | Department projected unmet demand | Council's projected unmet demand after considering surplus capacity |
|---|---|---|
| 2036 | 612 places | 243 places |
2036 kindergarten places availability: Department perspective vs Council perspective
Note: These figures are planning projections only. Surplus places in neighbouring areas help balance demand across Knox.
Timeline of key reforms
- Current: 15 hours of funded kindergarten for 4-year-olds, up to 15 hours for 3-year-olds
- 2029: 15 hours of funded kindergarten for all 3 and 4-year-olds
- 2034: 16–20 hours for 4-year-olds
- 2036: 30-hour universal Pre-Prep program
Why this matters
The KISP ensures Knox children have access to high-quality early learning while supporting families and providers:
- Children are ready for school and learning
- Families can access kindergartens across their community area
- Providers have data to plan services effectively
Transparency and supplementary information
We are committed to reviewing the KISP in 2028, taking all data updates into consideration to help us determine future demand and capacity.
Need help?
Contact us and will get back to you.
Call our Early Years team on 9298 8000.
