Kindy is 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year and is free for all Queensland families.
All approved free kindergarten providers can claim for free kindy funding.
Further information is available in the
Queensland Kindergarten Funding essentials video.
Queensland Kindergarten Funding essentials
The Queensland Kindergarten Funding Essentials have been updated to include information regarding mandatory child safety training requirements.
View a
summary of the latest changes.
For upcoming mandatory national child safety training, register now and refer to the new child safety legislation in 2026.
Supporting documents (March 2026)
Supplementary resources for
long day care services:
Supplementary resources for
sessional kindergartens:
Other resources:
Funding
Funding is provided to eligible service providers to assist with the costs of delivering a kindergarten program through 1 or more subsidies.
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Base subsidy—provided for each eligible enrolled child. The base subsidy is paid to services to provide improved entitlements, including additional pay on top of their award, for the early childhood teacher and up to 2 diploma educators delivering the kindergarten program.
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Gap fee / free kindy subsidy—provided for each eligible child enrolled in an approved kindergarten program and covers the parent fee component of the kindergarten program for at least 15 hours a week for 40 weeks, or 600 hours a year.
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Service location subsidy—provided for each eligible child to service providers in regional and remote locations (as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics remoteness measure at the SA2 geographic level).
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Kindy Uplift—provided to eligible service providers as determined by the Department of Education to respond to children's learning and developmental needs through evidence-based initiatives.
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Inclusion subsidy—provided to service providers to support the inclusion of eligible children, irrespective of diversity of background or additional needs.
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Per capita subsidy—provided to service providers that have not opted in to free kindy.
To qualify for Queensland Kindergarten Funding, long day care services or sessional kindergartens must be an
approved kindergarten program provider.
Governance and assurance
Technical help
Services are encouraged to contact their childcare management system support desk if they require any assistance with their childcare management systems and the application of free kindy for families.