Kindy is free for all Queensland families. Kindy is 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year.
All approved free kindergarten providers can claim for free kindy funding now.
2025 kindergarten funding essentials
The 2025 kindergarten funding essentials apply from 1 January 2025.
2024 funding guidelines and essentials
The funding category guidelines and funding essentials apply from 1 January 2024 until 31 December 2024.
2024 supporting documents:
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Statement of fees template – free kindy
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Example parent fees letter template
Note: Each approved provider or long day care service must identify the gap fee subsidy (free kindy amount) paid by the Queensland Government on each family's fee statement. Where this is not possible, the family fee statement must include the 'kindy tick' and free kindy logo to demonstrate to the family that they have received free kindy. - Early childhood teacher (ECT) annual plans
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 into 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
These fact sheets provide information about Queensland kindergarten funding 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.