SESSIONAL kindergarten will be discontinued at the Carrum Family and Children’s Centre. Kingston Council will no longer offer the service at the Carrum centre from 2026. It will continue to offer its extended day kindergarten program at the centre.
Kingston Council has come under fire for the decision. Council CEO Peter Bean said “demand for sessional kinder has fallen across the combined Carrum/Bonbeach/Patterson Lakes catchment and it is essential our services reflect the changing needs of our community.” “This change will enable us to meet the growing, stronger demand for extended day kinder programs – which reflects the growing number of families with two working parents. We remain committed to providing early education and kindergarten services across our city,” he said.
“While we fully understand some families are disappointed with our decision to cease sessional kinder at Carrum, there remains plenty of good options still available to them. They can stay at Carrum via our extended day kindergarten program, this program is run with the same teaching team and high-quality educational program, or if they prefer a sessional kinder program, they can register for the nearby Bonbeach or Patterson Lakes services.
“Kingston runs a central registration service, accessible on our website, to make it simple and easy for families to apply for kindergarten services run by community, and private operators and we are committed to supporting the impacted families through this transition.”
First published in the Frankston Times – 6 May 2025