The year before school is one of the most exciting in your child’s life. It’s a time for building real friendships, growing in independence, and getting ready for the next big step. At Choklits, our funded Four-Year-Old Kindergarten program in Melbourne is built to make that final kinder year count, all in a place your child already knows and loves.
This is the year their confidence really takes flight. Children build on earlier friendships, find their voice, and develop the curiosity and social skills that set them up for a smooth, happy transition to school. Our play-based program, led by kind and experienced educators, turns every day into a new adventure while gently building the foundations that matter most for the years ahead.
The Choklits Four-Year-Old Program
A special place to build confidence, trust, and excitement for your child’s future.
Our Four-Year-Old Kinder curriculum runs independently from our Three-Year-Old programs, but the two groups mix regularly. By this stage, your child is often the one setting the example, and stepping into that role builds a kind of confidence that’s hard to teach directly.
The Basics of Our Program
- Qualified Educators: Every Four-Year-Old Kinder room is run by an educator holding a Bachelor of Education and Victorian Institute of Teaching approval.
- A Full Day, All Year: Sessions run roughly 8:30am to 4:30pm across five days a week, 52 weeks of the year, so play-based learning is woven through the whole day rather than a set block of time.
- Grounded in the Right Frameworks: The program is built around the National Early Years Learning Framework and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework.
What Four-Year-Old Kinder Gives Your Child
- Individual attention from a qualified educator who’s invested in how they’re growing.
- Two formal check-ins a year to walk through their progress with you.
- A packed calendar of excursions, special days, and one-off events through the year.
- A structured lead-up to primary school, including school visits, so the transition feels familiar rather than sudden.
The Benefits of Kinder at Choklits
- A familiar setting, with the same friends and educators your child already trusts.
- Long day care hours that flex around a working family’s schedule, not the other way around.
- Five days of care a week, so there’s no juggling multiple providers.
- Established relationships with local primary schools that smooth the handover into school life.
A Closer Look at Our Four-Year-Old Program
This final kinder year raises the bar on what your child took from Three-Year-Old Kinder, with a program shaped around helping a child arrive at school ready:
- A Second Language: Regular exposure to a new language, introduced through play rather than formal lessons.
- Music and Sport: Dedicated sessions pitched at what four and five-year-olds can take on, building coordination and rhythm alongside teamwork.
- A Bigger World of Visitors and Excursions: Drama performers, animal encounters, road and water safety sessions, free dental and hearing checks, and cultural education sessions all feature throughout the year.
- A Structured Approach to School Readiness: Teachers work across three areas in the lead-up to school: communication (language, early reading, and numbers), wellbeing (confidence and getting along with others), and inclusion, so every child in the room is genuinely part of it.
- The Full CHOKLITS+ Program: Four-Year-Old Kinder children also take part in everything under CHOKLITS+, including Dr Rob’s visits, yoga, and weekly cooking, included in the standard daily fee.
FAQS
What is the Four-Year-Old Kindergarten program at Choklits?
It’s the final kinder year before school, run inside our long day care centres rather than as a standalone sessional program. Days combine structured learning with play, stories, art, and time outdoors, all pointed toward one outcome: a child who starts school settled and self-assured.
Who teaches the Four-Year-Old Kindergarten program?
An educator holding a Bachelor of Education and Victorian Institute of Teaching approval runs the room. Because most Four-Year-Old Kinder children have already spent a year with us, that educator is often building on a relationship rather than starting from scratch, which shapes how they plan the year ahead.
What age can my child start Four-Year-Old Kinder?
It’s designed for the year directly before school, and most children step into it straight after finishing Three-Year-Old Kinder with us. If timing feels uncertain, our educators know your child’s development well enough by this point to help you decide.
What will my child learn in Four-Year-Old Kinder?
The year builds toward school readiness across early literacy, numeracy, and a second language, layered with music, sport, and a calendar of visiting programs, from animal encounters to road safety sessions. The aim is learning that feels like an adventure rather than a checklist.
How does Choklits help my child get ready for school?
Our educators work across three areas: communication, wellbeing, and inclusion, covering everything from language and early numeracy to confidence and getting along with others. School visits are part of that lead-up wherever we can arrange them, so the move to school feels familiar rather than daunting.
Is Four-Year-Old Kinder free at Choklits?
Four-Year-Old Kinder qualifies for the Victorian Government’s Free Kinder subsidy, which cuts the cost significantly over the kinder years. On top of that, most families enrolled in a long day care setting like ours can also access the Child Care Subsidy, so it’s worth checking what you’re eligible for on both fronts.
What is the difference between sessional kinder and kinder at Choklits?
A sessional program usually means a few hours, a few days a week, leaving families to fill the rest of the day elsewhere. At Choklits, Four-Year-Old Kinder is built into a full long day care day, so there’s no separate before or after-kinder care to organise on top of it.
Are meals included with Four-Year-Old Kinder at Choklits?
Yes, our onsite chefs prepare meals as a standard part of the day, so packing a lunch isn’t something you need to think about. For a child in their final kinder year, it also means one less transition point in an already busy day.
Which Choklits centres offer Four-Year-Old Kinder?
The program runs at all three centres: Ringwood, Surrey Hills, and Croydon. Since many of these children have been with us since Three-Year-Old Kinder, a tour is a good chance to see how the room and routine shift for this final year.
When should I enrol my child in Four-Year-Old Kinder?
Enrol as early as you can. Four-Year-Old Kinder places go quickly, particularly from families already at Choklits moving up from Three-Year-Old Kinder, so securing a spot early matters. A tour is the best starting point to talk through where your child is at and what the year ahead looks like.
