Parents pay $160 to ensure spot amid high demand

Victoria last year became the first state or territory to give children access to two years of funded kindergarten before school. It is not compulsory, but it is strongly encouraged that children attend.

The government is rolling out five to 15 hours of free kindergarten for three-year-olds across the state and 15 hours for four-year-olds. Over 10 years, four-year-old kinder will increase to 30 hours. The government has said services will progressively increase hours as the infrastructure and…