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The University of Melbourne (UoM), in partnership with the Front Project and the Victorian Department of Education and Training, are undertaking a five-year evaluation of the state-wide roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten in Victoria. The project is led by UoM, with funding provided by the Paul Ramsay Foundation and The Ian Potter Foundation over five years. Delivering two years of high-quality kindergarten before school is vital for our youngest citizens as it provides the opportunity to gain an EDGE in learning and development, narrows the disadvantage gap and sets them up for future educational success. Currently, there is limited Australian evidence on the impact of kindergarten on children’s outcomes and on how to achieve an equitable and impactful system. The EDGE study will fill the gap in evidence by:

• Measuring the impact of two years of universal kindergarten on children’s learning and development and, in doing so, contribute to the international and Australian evidence base for early childhood education.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of implementing universal three-year-old kindergarten across Victoria and opportunities to improve/revise implementation at each stage.
• Highlighting insights for policymakers and decision-makers, reflecting the cycle of policy design, implementation and the evaluation of outcomes, with a focus on equity and quality.
• Providing practical information to the early childhood sector – teachers, educators, centre leaders and providers – on the programs, practices and learning experiences that encompass three-year-old kindergarten programs across Victoria.
• Demonstrating the return on investment of two years of early childhood education, taking into account the educational, social and economic benefits of the policy, and building a case for future investment in children – particularly children experiencing disadvantage – and society as a whole.

This partnership reflects a shared, multi-disciplinary commitment to an evaluation that will deliver rigorous evidence, insights for policymakers, and practical information for early childhood teachers, centre leaders and providers.

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Findings
Click here to access a summary of the preliminary EDGE Study findings released on 17 September 2026.

Researchers found children who received 15 hours a week of funded three-year old kindergarten had better language and problem-solving skills by the time they started school compared with children who did not receive funded three-year-old kindergarten. Led by Professor Patricia Eadie, the study is one of Australia’s largest evaluations of three-year-old kindergarten, involving around 2,200 children across 149 early childhood services in Victoria.

The findings have attracted significant media attention, including coverage in The Age and ABC Radio, highlighting how differences in early learning experiences can shape the skills children bring with them when they start school. Importantly, the EDGE research also points to the quality of early learning, including responsive educator-child interactions, play-based learning and intentional teaching, as critical to outcomes. Professor Eadie said the findings reinforce early childhood education as a critical investment in children’s futures and highlight the importance of investing in the early childhood workforce, including educators’ qualifications, experience and ongoing professional support.