From Term 1 2026, five public schools in WA are piloting free full-time kindergarten, with more schools to join the pilot in 2027.
Quality early childhood education supports children to build confidence, resilience, and creativity, as well as foundational language and social emotional skills.
Full-time kindergarten will give more children access to the high-quality early learning experiences that set them up for success.
What is the full-time kindergarten pilot program?
Right now, most children in WA public schools go to kindergarten five days a fortnight. This pilot will double that to full time, meaning five days a week, at no additional cost to families.
To start, five schools in both regional and metro WA are taking part. They are:
- South Kalgoorlie Primary School
- Dalyellup Primary School
- Halidon Primary School
- Banksia Grove Primary School
- Roleystone Community College
This pilot is an important first step in understanding how full-time kindergarten could be rolled out across the State.
Additional schools from across Western Australia will be added to the pilot program in 2027. The state-wide expression of interest process for additional public schools and community kindergartens to join the pilot in 2027 has now closed. The Government will make an announcement on the outcome of this process later in the year.
What are the benefits of full-time kindergarten?
The early years of life are the most important for a child’s development. Children’s brains grow faster from birth to five than at any other time.
When kids go to a good play-based kindergarten program, they build skills in:
- speaking and listening
- getting along with others
- thinking and problem-solving
- being confident and ready for future school years.
Full-time kindergarten will also:
- help families save on childcare costs
- support working parents
- give more children across WA a strong start to learning.
Schools in the pilot will get extra support to run safe, welcoming and play-based programs.
Is the full-time kindergarten pilot compulsory?
No, kindergarten will remain non-compulsory and parents can choose the number of days that best suit their child and family.
The pilot program provides an important opportunity to test the delivery of additional hours of kindergarten and receive feedback from families and early childhood teachers about the additional days.
The Office of Early Childhood
The Office of Early Childhood, based in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, is leading this work. The Office will also develop WA’s first Play Strategy - recognising the value of play in healthy development and early learning.
How will the success of the full-time kindergarten pilots be measured?
The pilot program will be evaluated, and the outcomes of the pilot will inform how full-time kindergarten could be rolled out across the State.
The insights gained from families, teachers, school leaders and local communities across the pilot sites will be critical to shaping the future of kindergarten in WA.
Updates on the progress of this pilot will be provided here as they become available.
Frequently asked Questions
How were these five schools chosen for the pilot?
Show moreSchools that had existing infrastructure capacity were the main consideration in selecting pilot sites.
The WA Government wants to pilot full-time kindergarten across a diverse range of public schools in WA, including regional and metropolitan sites, so we can learn how to best roll out expanded kindergarten in a way that considers the different needs of schools, children and families across the State.
Will there be funding available for teachers and education assistants for schools involved in the pilot?
Show moreYes. The pilot schools will receive funding at a full-time equivalent rate for each kindy student. From this, they can fund teachers, education assistants and pay the other costs of running a full-time kindergarten program.
When will the other pilot schools be selected? Do all schools have an opportunity to express their interest in the pilot program?
Show moreThe state-wide expression of interest process for additional public schools and community kindergartens to join the pilot in 2027 was run in the second half of 2025 and has now closed.
All public schools in WA that offer a Kindergarten program, and Community Kindergartens, were eligible to submit an Expression of Interest.
The Government will make an announcement on the outcome of this process later in the year.
Will children need to be toilet trained to attend the program?
Show moreParents are encouraged to help their child manage going to the toilet on their own before commencing kindergarten. The Department of Education’s Hello Kindergarten booklet has some great advice on this, as well as other tips for getting ready for kindergarten.
As for a child commencing part time kindergarten, who is not toilet trained, children in the full-time kindergarten pilot will have a Toileting Management Plan developed in collaboration with the teacher and parent.
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