Petition forces change after hundreds of Frankston kids left without a spot for 2026 kinder
A mother's petition has triggered swift action after Frankston's kindergarten system left hundreds of families stranded and threatened to separate twin sisters.
People power has forced a review of a controversial local council kinder enrolment system that left hundreds of families in limbo.
Frankston City Council on Monday night unanimously voted to review its kinder registration after more than 400 families signed a petition calling for change.
Parents rallied after discovering hundreds of children had not yet secured spots for four-year-old kinder in 2026 at the same centre they were enrolled for three-year-old kinder.
The chaos, revealed by the Herald Sun on Friday, even extended to a set of twins who faced being separated by red tape after one child received a place but her sister did not.
The hard copy petition, which was tabled at Monday night’s council meeting, was completed in just five days after local parents were told the online version would not be accepted by the council.
Ivy Chau, who created both petitions, said she was relieved future families would not face the same heartbreak
“In the perfect world the changes would have been immediate, but we knew that was unlikely,” Ms Chau said after the meeting.
Another mum Laura Singh said the win was also a chance to show her children the importance of “standing up for your community”.
“My eldest in 9 and they asked me why I was doing this,” Ms Singh said.
“I explained that it’s about speaking out when you don’t agree with something, not just sitting at home and complaining.”
Ms Chau addressed Monday’s council meeting about community concerns over the current system that did not prioritise continuity, expand or allow parents to nominate more than one kindergarten when registering.
Councillor Nathan Butler asked the council survey all parents involved in the 2026 registration process with a focus on prioritising continuity of programs for children at the same kindergarten location, broaden the sibling priority for sibling definition from two to three years and allow applicants to preference up to three kindergartens.
The survey would be completed by October and a report to be presented to councillors in November with proposed policy direction.
Mayor Kris Bolam congratulated Ms Chau on her efforts.
“It highlights people power,” he said.
“You went out there and created a petition and now you have a review.”
Kinder chaos as Frankston families miss out on places
Hundreds of Frankston families are in limbo as they wait to see if their children will be able to attend the same kinder in 2026, including a set of twins who face being separated by red tape.
A controversial registration system for local council kinders does not guarantee places for children already enrolled in three-year-old sessions, meaning they may not be given a place at the same centre for the four-year-old program the following year.
But families can only nominate one kinder when registering with Frankston City Council and are also prohibited from being on more than one waiting list.
Siblings also do not appear to be prioritised, even twins, as a Carrum Downs family discovered when one of their daughters was allocated a place in 2026 while the other remains on a waiting list for the centre both currently attend.
Frankston mum-of-two Ivy Chau started a petition seeking change after finding out her child would not automatically progress from three-year-old to four-year-old kindergarten at the same council-run centre.
In a single week the online petition has garnered 767 signatures while about 200 people have signed a hard copy to present to the council next week.
Ms Chau said many children, including her own, had only just started to settle into their kinder when families were told they wouldn’t be continuing at the same service next year.
“It is really concerning and anxiety provoking,” she said.
“If we’re changing a child’s environment every single year they won’t feel safe — they will feel like they don’t belong anywhere and have no a sense of community, which is really important for a young child.”
The 31-year-old midwife said Frankston council had failed to prioritise already enrolled children in its policies, unlike other councils such as Bayside and Whitehorse.
“I know there’s hundreds of children without a spot this year,” she said.
The mum said Frankston council’s system — which allowed parents to choose only one preference — made it harder for families to get a better chance of getting a spot at a centre that worked for them.
“You can’t just give families one preference because if they don’t get that preference, they will just have to either take whatever’s left, whether that be half an hour away within the council, or they go privately,” Ms Chau said.
“We need to get it back up to three preferences so people can plan and they won’t be as disappointed if they didn’t get their first.”
Carrum Downs mum Merryn Maguire, whose eldest son had not yet been offered a 2026 spot for four-year-old kinder at his current centre, said families had been told to “sit tight” and wait until the allocation process was complete.
“But if we didn’t get a spot at the centre our child is attending this year we’re cutting it very fine to get in anywhere else,” she said
Ms Maguire, who works in the long day care industry, said the council’s registration system was “shocking”.
“It doesn’t meet any of the recommendations under the Early Years Learning Framework in regards to developing a sense of belonging, relationships and a sense of attachment to people and place,” she said.
The Maguires had also registered their younger son for three-year-old kinder in 2026 at the same council-run centre.
“We’re rethinking that now we’ve seen what is happening to our eldest,” she said.
Ms Chau’s online petition states kindergarten enrolment in Frankston lacked foresight and failed to prioritise children who were already on their educational journey at a particular service.
“It is critical that the Frankston Council revisits its enrolment policies to prioritise continuity for our youngest learners, to give priority to children already enrolled in a three-year-old kindergarten program when allocating places for the four-year-old program at the same service,” it said.
The petition demands the council amend its kindergarten enrolment priorities and allow families to nominate at least two centre preferences during the registration process, instead of just one.
“The current limitation of only one preference severely restricts parents’ ability to plan for proximity, work schedules, sibling care, and individual child needs,” the petition said.
It also calls for changes to sibling priority rules.
Frankston City Council acting chief executive Cam Arullanantham said the council acknowledged the concerns raised by families and was “committed to placing as many children as possible in their first-choice service”.
“While demand has exceeded available places at some kindergartens, council is working closely with early years service providers to maximise capacity across the municipality,” he said.
“As the offer acceptance process continues, we expect more families to receive a place at their preferred kindergarten.”
Mr Arullanantham said the council understood how important continuity was during the early years of a child’s learning journey.
“Councillors have committed to reviewing the kindergarten registration process, determined by the previous the council and in place for a number of years, to ensure it best meets the needs of local families,” he said.
Findings from the review will be presented to councillors later this year ahead of the 2027 registration period.
The council was also investing in expanding local kindergarten facilities “to meet the needs” of the growing community.
In 2025, new kindergartens Baden Powell and Riviera opened in Frankston South and Seaford offering 99 places each.
The redeveloped Seaford Child, Youth and Family Centre and the new Langwarrin Community Centre and Early Years Project was also on track to open in February 2027.
