Early entry to preschool or school

You can apply if your child:

has a Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) score of at least 130. To prove this, you'll need a cognitive assessment report from a psychologist registered in Australia.
is aged 3 by 30 April in the year they start preschool (for early entry to preschool)
is aged 4 by 30 April in the year they start kindergarten (for early entry to kindergarten)
lives in the ACT
has at least one parent who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia.

If your family has a low-income Health Care Card from the Australian Government, you may be able to get help paying for the cognitive assessment. Email edu.consultation@act.gov.au for more information.

You apply by emailing these documents to edu.consultation@act.gov.au:

a completed application form [DOCX 22 KB]
proof of the child's date of birth (for example, a copy of the birth certificate or passport details)
proof that the parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia (birth certificate, passport or visa details)
proof you live in the ACT (for example, a gas or electricity bill)
the cognitive assessment report, by a psychologist registered in Australia, showing the child has an FSIQ score of at least 130.

We'll email you to say we're assessing your application. We'll let you know the result within 4 to 6 weeks.

If we approve your child for early enrolment, we'll give you an EE number.

Once you have this number, complete the form on enrol in a public school.

Your application then goes through the usual process for a child applying to enrol in a public school. For example, you are guaranteed a place at a nearby school but it may not be your first choice. Find more details on how to enrol in a public school.

Once your child is enrolled, you will need to meet with the school to discuss how the school can support your child's learning.

If your application to enrol early is declined, you can request a review or appeal of an enrolment decision.

Child or family does not speak English

You can apply for early entry to preschool if your:

child does not speak English
family does not speak English at home
child does not get to socialise with children the same age who speak English.

Early entry means your child can start preschool up to 6 months earlier than other children of similar age.

As the parent or carer, you must:

attend with your child
stay with them the whole time
speak the language the child speaks at home.

If you are accepted for early entry:

your child can attend up to 6 hours of preschool a week for up to 3 hours a day
you and the school must agree on the days and times your child can attend
you may need to apply separately for preschool the following year – you do not automatically get a place. Find out how to enrol in a public school.

Early entry to preschool does not mean your child will get a place in a preschool outside your Priority Enrolment Area the following year.

If you need help with English

If you need the translating and interpreting service, call 131 450.

Arabic: إذا لم تكن الإنجليزية هي لغتك الأولى وكنت تحتاج إلى ترجمة وتفسير الخدمة - يرجى الاتصال هاتفيا 131 450

Chinese: 如果英语不是你的第一语言，你需要翻译和口译服务-请致电131 450

Croatian: Ako engleski nije prvi jezik i da zahtijevaju prevoditelja i tumača - molimo nazovite 131 450.

Greek: Αν τα Αγγλικά δεν είναι η πρώτη γλώσσα σας και θα απαιτούν την μετάφραση και διερμηνεία των υπηρεσιών - παρακαλείστε να τηλεφωνήσετε στο 131 450

Italian: Se l'inglese non è la vostra prima lingua e si richiede la traduzione e interpretariato - si prega di telefonare al numero 131 450

Persian: اگر زبان انگلیسی زبان اول شما است و شما نیاز به سرویس ترجمه کتبی و شفاهی - لطفا با شماره 131 450

Portuguese: Se o Inglês não é sua primeira língua e exigir que o serviço de tradução e interpretação - por favor contacte 131 450

Serbian: Ако енглески није ваш матерњи језик и ви захтевају Служба преводилаца и тумача - позовите 131 450

Spanish: Si el Inglés no es su lengua materna y que requiere que el Servicio de Traducción e interpretación - por favor llame al 131 450

Turkish: İngilizce ilk diliniz değilse ve çeviri ve tercümanlık hizmeti gerektirir - 131 450 numaralı telefondan lütfen

Vietnamese: Nếu tiếng Anh không phải là ngôn ngữ đầu tiên của bạn và bạn yêu cầu dịch và dịch vụ phiên dịch - xin vui lòng gọi điện thoại số 131 450

You can apply if:

your child does not speak English
your family does not speak English at home
your child does not get to socialise with children the same age who speak English
your child is aged 3 by 30 April in the year you want them to start early preschool
you live in the ACT
at least one parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia.

Apply using the online form on enrol in a public school.

If the preschool you applied to has a place available, they will send you a Letter of Offer. It tells you how to confirm your enrolment.

If the preschool you applied to does not have a place, they will help you find another preschool.

We process applications after week 7 in Term 2.

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child

You can apply for your child to start preschool earlier than the usual starting age.

Usually, a child would start preschool in Term 1 of the school year. With early entry, the child can do Term 3 and 4 the year before they'd usually start.

If you want them to continue preschool the following year in Term 1, you may need to apply separately for the preschool they'll attend in Term 1.

You can apply to enrol your child early if they:

identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
are aged 3 by 30 April in the year before they will start 4-year-old preschool
live in the ACT.

Apply using the online form to enrol in a public school.

If the preschool you applied to has a place available, they will send you a Letter of Offer and tell you how to confirm your enrolment.

Applications are processed after week 7 in Term 2.

Child moving to the ACT (early entry for mobility)

In some cases, you can apply to get early entry to preschool or school for mobility reasons.

This could be because:

the family is moving to the ACT and:
- at least one parent has an employment contract to work here for up to 3 years, and
- as part of their employment, the family will then move to another state or territory with a different starting age for preschool or school.
the family is moving to the ACT permanently, and
- the state or territory they came from had a different starting age for preschool or school.

Allowing a child to start preschool or school early in these situations means they:

are not disadvantaged by their parents moving around for work, for example, Defence Force staff
stay on the same timeline as their peers, if they are later moving back to the state or territory where they started their education.

For preschool, early entry is open to a child who turns 4 by 31 July in the year you want them to start.

For kindergarten, early entry is open to a child who turns 5 by 31 July in the year you want them to start.

You can apply to enrol your child early if:

your child is aged 4 before 31 July in the year you want them to start preschool
your child is aged 5 before 31 July in the year you want them to start school (kindergarten)
the parent will be working in the ACT for less than 3 years and as part of their employment. They will then move to another state or territory in Australia with a different starting age for preschool or school.
at least one parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia.

To apply for early entry, write to the Director, Early Childhood, Learning and Teaching Branch stating the:

reason you are applying for early entry
child’s date of birth
year you want the child to start preschool or school
nature of the parent's employment and how long they will be employed in the ACT (if applying for work-related reasons)
state or territory you are moving from and the starting age for preschool or school there (if moving to the ACT).

Your application must include:

proof of the child's date of birth (for example, a copy of the birth certificate or passport details)
proof that the parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia (birth certificate, passport or visa details)
proof you live in the ACT
evidence from the parent's employer stating the length of time they will be employed in the ACT.

Families returning to the ACT after living overseas must provide documents that show the starting age for compulsory education in the public education system they are coming from.

Send your application by:

Email edu.consultation@act.gov.au
Post to Director, Early Childhood, Learning and Teaching Branch, ACT Education and Training Directorate, GPO Box 158 Canberra ACT 2601.