Free Kindy Queensland: a practical promotion guide for ECEC providers

As Free Kindy rolls out across Queensland, early childhood education and care services have a clear opportunity to strengthen enrolments and support equitable access. Here is how approved providers, centre managers and educators can use the Queensland Government’s campaign resources strategically and compliantly.

The Queensland Government’s Free Kindy initiative aims to ensure all eligible children can access quality kindergarten programs in the year before Prep. For services operating under the National Quality Framework (NQF), the initiative aligns with broader policy priorities around participation, inclusion and improved outcomes for children.

To support consistent messaging across the state, the Department of Education has released a comprehensive suite of promotional materials. Used effectively, these resources can help services communicate clearly with families, strengthen community engagement and maintain brand compliance.

Before launching any local promotion, services should review the latest Free Kindy campaign style guide and download the full promotional pack from the Queensland Government website.

The Free Kindy identifier has been updated. Services are expected to phase out previous coloured ‘Free Kindy’, ‘Kindy’ and ‘Kindy for all’ logos across websites, social media channels and printed collateral. Consistent use of the new identifier supports statewide recognition and reduces confusion for families.

Maintaining brand compliance is not simply a marketing exercise. Clear, consistent communication supports informed decision-making and reflects the professionalism expected under the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations.

Printed materials remain highly effective in early learning settings, particularly during drop-off and pick-up times.

The ‘Free Kindy in Queensland’ fact sheet provides a concise overview of eligibility, hours and funding arrangements. Displaying and distributing this resource can help educators respond confidently to common questions.

The promotional toolkit also includes:

• five general posters suitable for foyers and noticeboards
• explainer posters tailored to long day care attendance patterns, including two days per week, three days per week and five days per fortnight
• a combined sessional and long day care explainer poster
• a poster outlining kindy age requirements for 2026.

Selecting the most relevant materials for each service model ensures information is clear and context-specific.

Equitable access is central to the Free Kindy initiative. Services operating in culturally and linguistically diverse communities can use translated materials to reduce barriers for families.

The campaign includes a Free Kindy postcard translated into more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Amharic, Brazilian Portuguese, Farsi, Tagalog and Swahili.

Providing information in a family’s preferred language demonstrates cultural responsiveness and aligns with Quality Area 6 of the National Quality Standard, which focuses on collaborative partnerships with families and communities.

Families increasingly rely on digital communication when selecting early learning services. The Free Kindy toolkit includes eight ready-to-use social media tiles suitable for platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

These graphics cover:

• key facts about Free Kindy
• enrolment prompts
• the Free Kindy age calculator
• guidance on when children start kindy
• explainer tiles for long day care and sessional services
• ‘Explore, play and learn’ and ‘First day of Free Kindy’ visuals.

Services can integrate these assets into scheduled content plans to maintain consistent visibility during peak enrolment periods.

For websites and e-newsletters, the toolkit also provides web graphics and an email banner, as well as a web-friendly version of the age calculator. Embedding these assets within enrolment pages can improve clarity and support conversion.

When linking to external resources, follow Sector Publishing guidelines by linking relevant key words rather than generic phrases, and omit ‘http://’ from URLs.

To maximise the impact of the Free Kindy campaign:

• audit all current marketing materials and remove outdated logos
• update website enrolment pages with new Free Kindy graphics and links
• brief educators so messaging to families is accurate and consistent
• schedule multilingual postcard distribution in priority communities
• align social media posts with local enrolment timelines.

Clear, compliant communication about Free Kindy not only supports enrolment growth, but also reinforces a service’s commitment to access, inclusion and quality outcomes for children.

For further information or sector enquiries, contact the Queensland Government on 13 74 68 or email [email protected].