Early Childhood Update - April 2024

Dear early childhood education and care services

We are pleased to bring you an action-packed edition of Early Childhood Update just before the autumn term break – and for a comparatively short term, it certainly has been very busy and productive.

As we reflect on this year’s Cultural Diversity Week, I hope that you’ve had many chances to delve into and celebrate all the different perspectives, backgrounds and journeys that make up your communities. In this edition, we are highlighting some of the ways services can support culturally and linguistically diverse families, including an expanded translations and interpretation service.

With enrolments for 2025 underway, I am delighted that services are using the resources we are offering to help communicate about kindergarten with families and the local community. This edition highlights many of the new translated materials and services on offer. The feedback we’re hearing is that these resources are appreciated by families and services.

The interest from families and communities in kindergarten shows that people are positively responding to this investment in children and recognising the importance of these stages in ‘learning for life’.

In my new role as Deputy Secretary, Early Childhood Education, I look forward to working in partnership with you and your colleagues to deliver nation-leading early learning programs. The quality of the learning, support and collaboration in Victorian kindergarten programs shows how capable the sector is, and that we will work with creativity and partnership to deliver the ambitious goals of the Best Start, Best Life reforms.

Whether you’re celebrating Easter, Passover, Holi, Nowruz or Eid, I wish you a happy and restorative term break.

Bronwen FitzGerald
Deputy Secretary
Early Childhood Education

The department has expanded interpreting and translation supports for early childhood services in 2024, to strengthen engagement with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families.

As a result, more providers now have access to a range of free services, including qualified and accredited telephone, video and onsite interpreters through LanguageLoop, one of Australia’s leading language service providers.

Free written document translations

For the first time, free translation services for written documents will be available in 2024 for all department-funded kindergarten services through LanguageLoop.

Translation categories include:

• newsletter article – 500 word maximum
• notice – 750 word maximum
• information on program – 750 word maximum
• assessments of learning and development – 750 word maximum
• individual child goals/learning and development goals – 500 word maximum.

For information on how to request a translation, please refer to Use an interpreter in early childhood education services.

Free verbal interpreting services

Free verbal interpreting services currently available to funded kindergarten services have been expanded in 2024 to include:

• local councils receiving department funding to deliver a Central Registration and Enrolment Scheme (CRES) and/or a program to support kindergarten and Pre-Prep access and participation (including the CALD Outreach Initiative)
• Access to Early Learning (AEL) providers
• Safe Haven providers.

To book an interpreter, please refer to Use an interpreter in early childhood education services.

Find out more

During Term 2, 2024, LanguageLoop will be offering free online webinars about accessing interpreters for funded kindergarten services. To register, please follow the links below:

• Tuesday 30 April 2024: noon to 1 pm
• Thursday 2 May 2024: 4 pm to 5 pm
• Monday 13 May: noon to 1 pm
• Wednesday 15 May: 4 pm to 5 pm

For more information, refer to:

• Use an interpreter in early childhood education services for information on using LanguageLoop
• Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten with in-language videos and resources
• Information about kindergarten in your language resources in 30 languages on the benefits of kindergarten and information on how to enrol
• Foundation House Early Years Program website for advice on working with families from CALD and refugee backgrounds.

For further enquiries, contact the Early Years Management and Partnerships unit by email: early.years.cald.programs@education.vic.gov.au

Children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are finding it easier to enrol in Victorian kindergartens through the CALD Outreach Initiative.

The CALD Outreach Initiative funds 22 local councils to employ CALD outreach workers to help children from CALD backgrounds register, enrol and attend kindergarten.

Through the initiative, CALD outreach workers:

• support successful registration and enrolment of CALD children in kindergarten
• help to maximise CALD children’s attendance at kindergarten
• engage CALD children and their families in other early childhood supports in their local area, such as community playgroups and maternal and child health services
• support CALD children to transition from kindergarten to school.

Program success

In 2023, the initiative directly supported or engaged children from 71 countries and 100 language groups to engage in kindergarten and other early childhood services and/or transition to school.

Reaching the community

CALD outreach workers also organised and attended a range of activities to promote early childhood education to CALD families.

They visited playgroups, libraries, community hubs, schools and immunisation sessions, while also organising information sessions with council child and families' teams and local community organisations.

Boomerang throwing and emu visiting: a day in the life of a CALD outreach worker

Last year, the CALD outreach workers for the City of Greater Geelong welcomed families of Karen, Karenni, Persian and Afghani background to the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Geelong.

These newly arrived families, many with recent refugee experiences, were not sure what to expect as they walked into the centre.

After a smoking ceremony that welcomed everyone to Wadawurrung country, CALD outreach workers were able to meet and start to get to know these families with young children not yet enrolled in early years services.

As well as taking part in an Aboriginal art activity, learning how to throw a boomerang, visiting the resident emus and tasting damper, families were also given information about services available to them, with interpreters on hand to assist.

The families had some great questions, particularly around parenting in Australia and how they could enrol their children in kinder programs, and were keen to keep meeting regularly with the CALD outreach workers.

The intention of the event, run as part of a collaboration with the City of Greater Geelong’s Family Services Development team, was for families to feel welcome, connected to the region and to interact with the staff and workers who will be able to assist them with their children’s education journey over the coming years.

As of 2024, the CALD outreach workers continue to support CALD communities in Geelong to register and enrol in kindergarten.

Find out more

For more information, refer to Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten.

For further enquiries, contact the Early Years Management and Partnerships unit by email: early.years.cald.programs@education.vic.gov.au

The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI) has produced a new resource in response to requests from early childhood educators for appropriate protocols to support services in providing a welcoming environment for Victoria’s Koorie families.

The ‘VAEAI Koorie early years: best practice and protocols – a practitioner’s guide’ provides guidance on how best to incorporate Aboriginal perspectives into early childhood services and increase inclusion of Koorie families through respectful use of protocols and local Koorie structures and community.

These protocols include knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, reflection, research and relationship building.

The guide also outlines the foundational principles, procedures and behaviours that the early childhood education sector can use to demonstrate respect to Koorie communities in Victoria.

Achieving awareness and action with Narragunnawali

Narragunnawali is an online platform providing access to free professional resources that support awareness and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions.

Activities are teacher-led and can also be used by individuals in small groups during staff meetings and with the local Aboriginal community.

Early childhood services can use the platform to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), and teachers and educators can access professional learning, curriculum resources, subject guides and webinars to support implementation of reconciliation initiatives.

Professional learning, resources and activities can be filtered by subject, year and RAP action. Professional learning options align with the National Quality Standard and at least one RAP action.

Explore options available through the School Readiness Funding Menu

The School Readiness Funding (SRF) Menu provides evidence-informed programs and supports that address 3 priority areas for school readiness:

• communication (language development)
• wellbeing (social and emotional)
• access and inclusion.

The SRF Menu includes the following supports focused on cultural safety. The websites of some of these organisations feature resources and supports related to cultural safety. They include:

• Aboriginal Cultural Supports
• Koorie Heritage Trust
• Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care
• Supporting Reconciliation Professional Learning Bundle
• The Victorian Aboriginal Children and Young People’s Alliance
• Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency Training
• Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
• Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Ltd
• Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc
• Yarn Strong Sista Aboriginal Support Packages.

About VAEAI

VAEAI is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation focused on advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to government on Koorie education and training priorities.

Find out more

For more information, refer to:

• Narragunnawali website
• SRF Menu.

The Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) makes it easier for early childhood professionals to request and share information with other organisations to promote the wellbeing and safety of children.

To help you build and maintain trusting relationships with families in your community, we have made our CISS fact sheets available in 20 languages.

Use the fact sheets for support when discussing CISS with parents and carers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

The fact sheets were developed after extensive community consultation. They are designed to answer parents' and carers’ concerns and questions about CISS, including what information can be shared, how it can be shared and what their rights are under the scheme.

To access the fact sheets, refer to Child Information Sharing Fact sheet in your language.

The new translations build on our existing range of CISS resources, including:

• information for families, carers, children and young people
• resources for First Nations peoples.

Sign up for training

Understanding CISS will empower you to collaborate with other authorised services, such as schools, maternal and child health services, Victoria Police and child protection to:

• get the full picture of the children in your service
• identify issues or risks for children and families sooner
• ensure children receive the best support possible across services
• support children at key transition points.

If you are a registered early childhood teacher in a Victorian government-funded kindergarten program, we recommend enrolling in the combined Info Sharing and Child Link – Education training.

This free online training covers the information sharing reforms and the mandatory training required to join Child Link, a digital tool that is a key enabler of the reforms.

If you are not an early childhood teacher but you work in a different early childhood role, we recommended enrolling in information sharing training.

To learn more about the reforms and enrol in a course, log in to the Information Sharing and MARAM Online Learning System.

Find out more

For more information about the information, refer to:

• Child Information Sharing Scheme
• Information sharing and how to access Child Link.

For further enquiries, contact the Victorian Child Information Sharing Division by email: CISandFVIS@education.vic.gov.au

For Victorian government schools, Foundation (Prep) enrolments for the 2025 school year will open from the start of Term 2, 2024, on Monday 15 April.

We are asking parents and carers of children starting school next year to apply to enrol by Friday 26 July 2024.

All Victorian government primary schools will follow this timeline.

We have developed information and resources to make the enrolment process simpler, available at Enrolling in Foundation (Prep). This page includes an enrolment information pack for parents and carers, and an application form. A fact sheet and poster are also available in more than 40 languages.

How you can support families

To help families of children in Four-Year-Old Kindergarten programs understand the enrolment timeline, please share resources from the information pack for the early childhood education sector. This pack is available at Enrolling in Foundation (Prep).

The pack has information about the enrolment process to provide to families and staff, with resources including a poster, fact sheet, website content, social media content and newsletter text.

Please share these resources through your own communication channels so families are aware of the timeline and children can get excited about the start of their school journey.

For information about transition to school, refer to moving to primary school, which has resources including:

• Transition: a positive start to school resource kit
• Transition Learning and Development Statements.

As part of communicating this process, services may receive questions from families regarding access to a second year of kindergarten. Information about eligibility for a second year of kindergarten and guidance on the associated processes and resources to help you communicate with families can be found at Second year of funded Four-Year-Old Kindergarten.

Find out more

For more information, refer to Enrolling in Foundation (Prep).

For further enquiries, contact the senior transition officer in your regional office by email:

• North-east region: enrolments.nev@education.vic.gov.au
• North-west region: enrolments.nwv@education.vic.gov.au
• South-east region: enrolments.sev@education.vic.gov.au
• South-west region: enrolments.swv@education.vic.gov.au

The Premiers’ Reading Challenge is a fun and easy way to motivate children and their families in early childhood education to discover the joy of reading.

The 2024 challenge will run until Friday 6 September 2024. This year’s theme, ‘Explore. Learn. Enjoy’, captures the excitement and sense of adventure that comes with reading.

To take part in the challenge, register your service and make use of resources, including newsletter text, to promote the challenge to families at your service. Encourage families to read books from the challenge book list or books of their own choice. To register your service, visit Premiers' Reading Challenge.

Promote the challenge

The Premiers’ Reading Challenge webpage will be updated by the end of Term 1, 2024, to include resources for you to promote the challenge to your service’s community, including:

• draft newsletter text
• a letter from the Premier of Victoria
• posters and other promotional material
• milestone certificates.

About the challenge

The challenge encourages families and children from birth to Year 10 to read and record their efforts online, promoting the importance of reading for literacy development.

This year, families have until Friday 6 September 2024 to read the set number of books for their year level, including books from more than 15,000 titles on the challenge book list or books of their own choice. Children who complete the challenge will receive a certificate of achievement.

More than 4 million children and students have read more than 60 million books as part of the challenge since it started in 2005.

Find out more

For more information, refer to Premiers’ Reading Challenge.

For further enquiries, contact the Premiers’ Reading Challenge team by email: readingchallenge@education.vic.gov.au

The Social Research Centre (SRC) contacted all early childhood services by email in February with an invitation to take part in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) National Workforce Census.

This email included a username, password and instructions to register for the census.

This Australia-wide data collection about the ECEC sector workforce will run from May to July 2024.

Governments use data collected from this census to help develop and measure ECEC programs and policies. The Australian Government Department of Education has commissioned the census.

Data collected

This census collects data about:

• ECEC usage
• children with additional needs
• access to kindergarten programs
• staffing.

Your participation helps ensure an accurate and nationally consistent picture of the sector. Please register as per the instructions in the SRC email.

All data and personal information collected is treated as confidential and will be de-identified prior to any reporting.

Key dates

The registration period closes on Friday 26 April 2024. The data collection period is from Monday 13 May to Sunday 14 July 2024.

Find out more

For more information, refer to Social Research Centre.

For further enquiries, contact the Social Research Centre:

• phone: National Workforce Census Helpline on 1800 800 996 (free call)
• email: nwc@srcentre.com.au

The Respectful Relationships program is offering free professional learning for early childhood teachers and educators (bachelor, diploma or certificate III qualified) in Victorian government-funded kindergarten programs.

The online professional learning program will run in May and June 2024 and aims to strengthen the capacity of early childhood teachers and educators to:

• promote respectful relationships, positive attitudes and behaviours within their teaching approach to enable children to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence
• understand the role of gender equality in the prevention of family violence and learn practical strategies for promoting gender equality in their teaching practice
• recognise and respond to family violence and build support networks.

About the professional learning program

We developed this professional learning program in collaboration with world-leading experts from Monash University. The program aligns with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework and the National Quality Standard.

The department is offering a financial contribution to services that need backfill for staff who join this training.

The professional learning can be found on the School Readiness Funding Menu. Services can also use the menu to arrange for backfill or additional support.

Respectful Relationships program for early childhood educators

• Dates: Friday 3 May to Tuesday 4 June 2024
• Format: online (one full-day workshop and one 2-hour, self-paced learning module)
• Cost: free.

Find out more

For more information on Respectful Relationships, refer to Early childhood education training – health and wellbeing.

For further enquiries, contact the Respectful Relationships team by email: respectful.relationships@education.vic.gov.au

This year, an extra 260 services are now using the Early Years Assessment and Learning Tool (EYALT) in their funded Three- and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten programs.

This is on top of the more than 700 services that received access to the EYALT in 2023, when the program was first rolled out.

The EYALT is the Victorian Government’s approved early learning assessment tool. It enables early childhood teachers and educators delivering kindergarten programs to make consistent observations and assessments of children’s learning, helping them to plan and deliver quality kindergarten programs.

Professional learning

Services are reminded they are still able to access the EYALT online professional learning program for their teaching teams in terms 2 and 3, 2024. To register, refer to EYALT professional learning program.

You can also access 2 self-paced online EYALT eLearn modules on the Information Sharing and MARAM Online Learning System and EYALT instructional videos are available by logging in to EYALT.

Funding grants and other support

All new services with access to the EYALT in 2024 are eligible to receive one-off funding grants, including:

• contribution backfill funding for teaching teams to attend the 2024 professional learning program and self-paced eLearn modules
• a change management grant to help incorporate use of the EYALT in your service.

Services that accessed the EYALT for the first time in 2023 are also eligible to receive one-off backfill contribution funding for new staff to attend the professional learning if they have new staff to the service. More funding information is available in the funding guidelines on the Early Years Assessment and Learning Tool webpage.

Local practice support is available through your local kindergarten improvement advisors. To contact them, refer to your regional Early Childhood Improvement Branch on the Contact an Early Childhood Improvement Branch webpage.

Written and technical support is available by logging into EYALT. If you are unsure about your login details, please email the Assessment for Learning team at early.years.assessment@education.vic.gov.au

Later this year, we will seek expressions of interests from services interested in using the EYALT from 2025.

Find out more

For more information, refer to Early Years Assessment and Learning Tool.

For further enquiries, please contact the Assessment for Learning team by email: early.years.assessment@education.vic.gov.au

We want to hear the stories of real people working in the early childhood and education workforce. We’d like to share inspiration and insights within the sector, and among those considering a career in early childhood education and care.

Through quality play-based learning, early childhood teachers and educators have a life-changing impact on the learning and development outcomes of children.

The department is looking for case studies to highlight and celebrate the great workforce that makes a difference to the lives of children and their families.

We are looking for people currently in any stage of their teaching career at an early childhood service to chat to us and share their stories.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in talking to us about their experience in studying or now working in the sector, please get in touch by email: ec.portfolio.communications@education.vic.gov.au

Find out more

For more information, email the Early Childhood Communications team at: ec.portfolio.communications@education.vic.gov.au

A total of 58 toy libraries across the state will receive up to $10,000 to renew their toys and equipment and connect with more local families, after the Victorian Government announced successful recipients for the 2023 round of its Toy Library Grants Program.

Toy Libraries Australia and Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Cooperative will also both receive $40,000 to establish 6 new toy libraries in Victoria. They will be in Truganina, Deer Park, the City of Hume, Horsham and Stawell.

Toy libraries are important community hubs, providing children and families with low-cost access to educational toys and resources, ensuring children use their imaginations to explore, discover and play using the equipment available.

The Toy Library Grants Program aims to increase and improve Victorian toy libraries, supporting families with cost-of living pressures and assisting parents and carers to strengthen the home learning environment.

To find a full list of successful recipients, refer to Toy Library Grants Program.

The 2024 grant round will open in the coming months.

Find out more

For more information, refer to Toy Library Grants Program.

For further enquiries, contact toy.libraries@education.vic.gov.au