Child care
Defence childcare centres
Children of mobile Defence families can receive priority of access to Defence childcare centres around Australia. Defence Community Organisation (DCO) also provides individual case management to help parents with childcare placement. For more information click here.
More childcare resources
The resources below may help you locate the right childcare service for your family:
Defence School Mentors
The Defence School Mentor Program provides support to children of ADF families, particularly when changing schools on posting or during parental absences due to deployment, exercises or courses.
The in-school mentors in primary and secondary schools are funded by the Department of Defence through Defence Community Organisation (DCO). They are employed as a member of the school staff by respective schools or education systems within each State or Territory.
Primary schools with Defence School Mentors
- Puckapunyal Primary School, Puckapunyal
High schools with Defence School Mentors
- Seymour College, Seymour
VIC School Terms
Click here to see school terms for Victoria for 2019 - 2025.
Schools
DCO provides a range of services and resources for Defence children to assist with the transition between schools and education systems when families move, and to provide support for the unique needs of Defence students. You can find information on schooling, including aides and mentors on the DCO website on Education or Your Community pages.
All Victorian children aged between six and 17 must attend school. Grade ‘Prep’ (preparatory year) to Grade six attend primary school. Victorian secondary school is from Year seven to Year 12. To attend a government school in Victoria, your child must be five years of age by 30 April of the year they start school.
- The Australian Schools Directory is a helpful tool to search for all primary and secondary schools in the region.
- The Private Schools Directory provides a guide to private schools in Sale.
- The Victorian Department of Education website is a good source of information on public education in Victoria and includes a list of schools by location
