Early Childhood Update - March 2025

Dear colleagues

This month, we celebrate Cultural Diversity Week, running from Monday 17 to Sunday 23 March 2025. It’s a great time to acknowledge our state’s diverse and vibrant multicultural communities.

The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework outlines the fundamental role of early childhood education in fostering and promoting cultural awareness in children. We know that children achieve better outcomes when their diverse strengths, abilities, interests and cultural practices are understood and supported.

This year’s theme – ‘Embrace the journey, shape our future’ – has a special resonance for early childhood education. In our sector, we have a unique role in creating learning environments built around inclusion and respect, in which children actively learn about and appreciate differences from an early age.

During the week, you might consider ways of showcasing cultural diversity at your service such as setting up displays celebrating different cultures and traditions, and their contributions to your community. Or you can provide opportunities for community members to actively participate through activities like cooking demonstrations, craft-making sessions and storytelling circles.

It’s also a great chance to share some of our many resources designed to help services support families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, which are outlined below. Please take the time to explore these and send them on to your colleagues.

In this edition, we share 2 new resources, developed in partnership with fka Children’s Services, to support services to engage with multilingual families.

The Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten webpage also has a wealth of information to support services to communicate with CALD families about the benefits of kindergarten.

All kindergarten services are eligible to access free on-site, telephone and video interpreters to strengthen engagement with parents and carers who speak a language other than English or use Auslan.

The Information about kindergarten in your language webpage also includes resources translated into 30 languages to support families to build their understanding of kindergarten.

Embracing diversity and inclusion is of course vital to children’s learning and development, but it’s also important for our workforce, too.

The Early Childhood Tertiary Partnerships program offers a range of tertiary courses with additional support for people from CALD backgrounds. Support includes:

• in-language supports to enrol and complete your studies
• academic and workplace mentors who are culturally responsive.

Finally, this month we also celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March 2025. It’s an opportunity for us all to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, which are woven through both the history and contemporary experience of our sector, and which our sector helps support in our wider community. For information on how you can mark the day, visit the International Women’s Day website.

I invite you all to read and share this month’s edition with your colleagues. We would also love to hear stories about how your service will celebrate Cultural Diversity Week, so please feel free to share them with us.

Wishing you all the best for the month ahead.

Bronwen FitzGerald
Deputy Secretary
Early Childhood Education

Arrival, the new mandatory kindergarten reporting system, is now available for most service providers.

Arrival offers functionality to help sessional services collect and report attendance data. This will help drive our collective efforts to support kindergarten attendance so that Victorian children receive their full learning and developmental benefits.

We will continue to work closely with providers to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.

Bulk upload attendance data collection

Service providers can now access a ‘multiple child bulk upload’ function to enter enrolment data into Arrival.

Guidance materials for which template services should use are available through the ‘Help’ link at the top right-hand corner of your Arrival screen and on the Arrival webpage.

Annual confirmation

Services should start entering all program, teacher, educator and enrolment data into Arrival in preparation for annual confirmation. Further information about annual confirmation and attendance data collection for sessional services will be available shortly.

Guidance and support

Instructions on Arrival, including how to complete registrations, validate access, and add or update Arrival users, are available at Arrival: Guidance and resources.

Guidance and support for all other activities in Arrival are available through the ‘Help’ link at the top right-hand corner of your Arrival screen.

Find out more

For technical support when using the system, contact the Arrival Helpdesk:

• phone: 1800 614 810
• email: Arrival.Helpdesk@education.vic.gov.au.

If you have any other questions about Arrival, contact the Arrival Implementation team by email: arrival.implementation@education.vic.gov.au

Funded Four-Year-Old Kindergarten programs across Victoria are gradually increasing from 15 to 30 hours each week by 2036 through the roll-out of Pre-Prep.

Led by qualified teachers, additional hours of Four-Year-Old Kindergarten will give children greater opportunities to socialise and learn through play, and create stronger connections with children and families. The additional hours mean even greater access to the many benefits of early childhood education.

This program will be delivered through sessional kindergartens and long day care centres.

The staged roll-out allows time to grow the necessary workforce and infrastructure, and for services to get ready to run expanded programs.

The Expanding your early childhood education programs – Change Management Toolkit has information to support services plan and deliver 15 hours of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and increased hours of funded Four-Year-Old Kindergarten. This includes advice about program model options and examples.

Roll-out in 2026

Pre-Prep will make Four-Year-Old Kindergarten available for between 16 to 25 hours per week statewide for children:

• who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• from a refugee or asylum seeker background
• who have had contact with Child Protection services.

While all children stand to benefit from the reforms, this program will have an especially big impact for these children.

Four-Year-Old Kindergarten programs of 16 to 20 hours will be available to children in the following local government areas (LGAs) in 2026:

• Benalla Rural City
• Buloke Shire
• Corangamite Shire
• East Gippsland Shire
• Horsham Rural City
• Loddon Shire
• Mansfield Shire
• Mitchell Shire
• Pyrenees Shire
• Strathbogie Shire
• Wangaratta Rural City
• Wodonga Rural City.

See when your LGA is rolling out by looking at the Pre-Prep roll-out schedule.

Early Childhood Improvement Branches offer tailored support for services in the 2026 roll-out, including about modelling options.

For information on the operational policies supporting the reforms, refer to: Operational policies supporting the Best Start, Best Life reforms.

Find out more

For more information, refer to the Pre-Prep roll-out schedule.

For further enquiries, contact your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch.

The department continues to partner with Museums Victoria to support bespoke and engaging programs that promote Victoria’s Best Start, Best Life early childhood reforms.

Museums Victoria creates world-leading education projects that are aligned with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, reflecting a shared goal in ensuring the best outcomes for children.

Connecting with families and children

We worked in partnership with Museums Victoria to support Little Kids’ Week in February. This event saw young learners take part in exciting activities all about building, sight, sound, bounce, balance and imagination. Hundreds of families took part in fun activities that celebrated the power of play.

We’re also supporting Little Kids’ Day In, a program that encourages children aged 5 and younger, and their parents and carers, to head to Scienceworks for a day of robot and coding fun.

And we’re working with Museums Victoria to deliver its Tiny Tours program, which gives children the chance to enjoy a 45-minute tour guided by a learning expert, to explore Melbourne Museum like never before.

We encourage you to promote these exciting programs to your families.

Professional development

Museums Victoria also delivers professional development for early years educators.

The professional development program supports our focus on the recruitment, upskilling and retention of early childhood teachers and educators.

To learn more about the professional development opportunities available, refer to the Museums Victoria webpage.

Find out more

To find out more about Little Kids’ Day In events throughout the year, refer to the What’s on at Scienceworks webpage.

For further enquiries, contact the department by email: ec.portfolio.communications@education.vic.gov.au

In partnership with fka Children’s Services (fkaCS), we have developed 2 resources to support services to engage with multilingual families:

• Engaging with multilingual families – a guide to support kindergarten services to engage with multilingual families and overcome any communication barriers. The guide includes information about creating welcoming and inclusive environments, using different ways to communicate, promoting identity and belonging, and getting the right language supports.
• Hello Kinder – an editable social story to support orientation for multilingual families and children. The booklet can include photos and features of the kindergarten service, including where children put their bag and play, and highlight routines such as drop-off and lunchtime.

These resources complement the new Engaging with multilingual families about kindergarten interactive eLearning modules, which are available on the fkaCS website.

We would love to hear about how you use these resources and engage with multilingual families at your service. To share your story, email: bsbl.change.management@education.vic.gov.au

Find out more

For more information, refer to the Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten webpage. This webpage also has links to translated information, and information about free interpreter and translation services.

For further enquiries, contact the Change Management team by email: bsbl.change.management@education.vic.gov.au

The inclusion of children with additional needs in kindergarten programs continues to be a core priority for the department.

The Kindergarten Inclusion Support (KIS) program supports funded kindergarten services to tailor their program and build capacity to enable greater inclusion of children with additional needs.

Over the past year, we have worked to improve the administration of the KIS program, including creating a more streamlined application process to ensure timely decision-making.

Application process

In October 2024, the department established a new submission and assessment process for the KIS program. Managed by Australian Healthcare Associates (AHA), the KIS applications website is a central point where applications are submitted and assessed.

There has been a significant increase in the number of applications compared to previous years, and application turnaround times are now faster.

Purpose of the program

There has been no change to the purpose of the KIS program or the eligibility criteria, with these set out in program guidelines for disability and complex medical needs. There has not been a reduction in program funding.

The KIS program aims to enhance the capacity of services to tailor an inclusive program, which incorporates the individual requirements of children with additional needs within a group setting.

The application process seeks to understand the type and level of needs presented by the child in the group context. The supports should be focused on shaping and building capacity for the whole program, not exclusive support for an individual child.

Services can appeal a decision at any time. An appeal should include new or additional information that services feel impacts their ability to support a child’s participation in the program.

If you would like advice or support with an appeal, contact your local KIS provider.

For support with the submission process, contact the KIS application support team by phone: 1300 564 149

Placing KIS additional assistants

KIS supports can include the engagement of an additional assistant who helps to deliver a kindergarten program for all children in the group.

Once support has been approved, the relevant KIS provider will source and place KIS additional assistants in the kindergarten.

If the KIS provider is unable to place a KIS additional assistant within a reasonable timeframe, kindergarten services can request to use their own assistant by entering into a subcontracting arrangement with the KIS provider. KIS providers must accept any reasonable requests for subcontracting where they cannot supply an additional assistant.

If you experience difficulties securing an additional assistant, contact your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch.

Find out more

For more information about the KIS program, including the guidelines and list of KIS providers in your area, visit Kindergarten Inclusion Support.

We also have a range of other inclusion supports available, including:

• the Preschool Field Officer program
• the Kindergarten Inclusion Support Specialised Equipment program
• Flexible support packages.

Registrations are open for the 2025 Premiers’ Reading Challenge (the challenge) – a fun and easy way for early childhood services to encourage families to read together.

Services that register for the challenge can use resources including posters, bookmarks, newsletter text and checklists to encourage children and families to read at least 40 books together by Friday 5 September 2025.

We will mail early childhood services a promotional kit with posters and bookmarks in March to help you promote the challenge.

To register your service, visit Premiers’ Reading Challenge.

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.

Families can choose from more than 15,000 titles on the challenge book list or their own favourites. Children who complete the challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Premier.

This year the challenge celebrates its 20th anniversary with the theme, ‘20 years of words and wonder’, and a year of special activities. Sign up to the challenge newsletter and follow the Premiers’ Reading Challenge Facebook page for updates throughout the year.

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

Applications are now open for the Certificate III Upskill Support Program (CUSP), which provides financial support towards the cost of studying for educators looking to upskill.

Certificate III-qualified educators who want to upskill to become Diploma qualified are encouraged to apply for up to $7,000 to help support them while studying.

More than 400 educators accessed CUSP in 2024. This year, we have also added a new regional stream which targets eligible educators living in rural and regional Victoria for support.

A passion to help children grow and thrive across generations

Wodonga Institute of TAFE is part of the Early Childhood Tertiary Partnerships Program, offering tailored courses with additional wrap-around supports that make it easier for students to study.

Jessi Johan Laycock is currently accessing CUSP and is on track to complete her Diploma in Early Childhood Education at the end of March 2025.

Jessi is following in her mother’s footsteps, by taking up further study in early childhood after realising her passion while working at Kids on Campus Early Learning Centre, Wodonga Institute of TAFE.

‘My mum is a big influence. She has worked in early childhood education for many years. After watching and learning from her, I fell in love with the job.’

Jessi said she loved many aspects of working in the sector.

‘I love all the “awwww” moments and watching the children learn new skills.

‘I also love building those relationships of trust with a child that helps them grow and thrive.’

Career pathway to teaching

‘I decided to begin further study in 2024, after filling in as a room leader,’ Jessi said.

‘I enjoyed setting up the learning experience then watching the children explore and learn through their play.’

When Jessi learned about CUSP from an early childhood teacher, she knew it would go a long way to help her financially while she undertook further study, so she decided to apply.

‘Any financial support helps me cover my costs, especially while I complete placements.’

How to apply

If you’re an eligible educator who holds a current Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) currently working in the sector and wish to upskill to a Diploma of ECEC, you can apply for financial support under CUSP.

To view the eligibility criteria and apply, refer to the early childhood scholarships and incentives application portal.

Applications are now open and will close on Friday 13 June 2025, or when all program places are filled. Submit your application as soon as possible to improve your chances of receiving support under this program.

For information about courses to upskill to a Diploma of ECEC, refer to: Find an early childhood education course. You may still be eligible to apply for CUSP will accessing a place through Free TAFE.

If you are looking for options to upskill to a Diploma with more support, refer to the Early Childhood Tertiary Partnerships program webpage. The program offers tailored courses with a range of benefits to support you while you study.

For further enquiries about CUSP, contact BUSY At Work (who administers the program on behalf of the department):

• phone: 1300 161 396
• email: ec.financial.support@education.vic.gov.au

The Best Start, Best Life: 2025 Educational Leaders Conference will take place on Friday 28 March 2025 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The conference theme is ‘Brain development and the criticality of the early years’.

All educational leaders working in a Victorian-funded early childhood service are invited to attend either in person or online.

Participants will hear from local and international experts about practical, evidence-based approaches to improve early childhood education. It is also an opportunity to network and connect with other educational leaders.

About the conference

The full-day conference will include keynote presentations from 2 international experts:

• Professor John Spencer, Professor of Psychology, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Professor Spencer’s research focuses on infant brain health, executive functioning, working memory, attention and inhibitory control.
• Professor Deborah Phillips, Professor of Psychology, Georgetown University and Co-director, Centre for Research on Children, United States of America. Professor Phillips’ research focuses on the developmental effects of early childhood programs for children, including those with additional needs.

The conference will also deliver 2 workshops on the day to provide an early showcase of the intentional teaching professional learning program that will be released in late 2025. The workshops will focus on:

• Workshop 1: intentional teaching and improving teacher-child interactions, facilitated by Kirsty Liljegren
• Workshop 2: building subject matter knowledge in language and literacy and using learning progressions, facilitated by Dr Karyn Carson.

Event details

• Date: Friday 28 March 2025
• Time: 9 am to 5 pm
• Platform: in person and online
• Venue (in person): Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
• Cost: free.

To register, visit Best Start, Best Life: 2025 Educational Leaders Conference Registrations. Registrations close at 6 pm Sunday 9 March 2025.

Find out more

For more information about the conference, refer to Best Start, Best Life: 2025 Educational Leaders Conference.

For further enquiries, email: educationalleadersconference@eventfrog.com.au

Moving to full registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) is an important step for early career early childhood teachers. It demonstrates their proficiency against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

We have a range of support available to help provisionally registered teachers (PRTs) to obtain full registration.

Provisionally Registered Teacher Grants program

More than 700 grants are available to support PRTs to move to full registration. Approved providers can apply for funding of $2,872 (excluding GST) per PRT.

Grant funding can be used in any way that will support the PRT to move to full registration within 12 months of the grant being issued.

Applications must be submitted through the PRT Grants Program portal by an authorised representative of the approved provider.

Applications will close 5 pm Friday 14 March 2025.

Applicants must have discussed the application with the PRT on whose behalf they are applying for the funding and must have provided the PRT with the privacy statement. This is available in the PRT Grants Program portal.

Approved providers interested in applying for funding are strongly encouraged to review the PRT Grants Program guidelines and terms and conditions in the PRT Grants Program Portal and on the program webpage.

Provisionally Registered Teacher Mentor program

The Provisionally Registered Teacher Mentor program provides free mentor support for eligible PRTs to move to full registration.

Delivered by Gowrie Victoria, on behalf of the department, the level and type of support provided by the mentor is tailored for each PRT.

Places are limited. Program eligibility is prioritised for PRTs who are located regionally (outside of metropolitan Melbourne), have been unable to access a mentor and have been a PRT for more than 2 years.

The program takes approximately 3 to 5 months to complete, and includes 3 on-site observation and reflection sessions.

In 2025, 2 intakes are available. A few places remain for cohort 1, which will start in March 2025. Cohort 2 will start in July 2025.

To request access to a mentor or check eligibility, refer to How to find an early childhood education mentor or contact Gowrie Victoria by email: mentoring@gowrievictoria.org.au

Beginning Teacher Conferences

The free Beginning Teacher Conference series is focused on preparing and inspiring new teaching professionals, including PRTs, at the beginning of their careers in early childhood education.

The conferences will help these professionals seek solutions to the issues that are most relevant to their day-to-day work and support them in applying theory in their teaching practice.

The 2025 Beginning Teacher Conference series will feature 6 conferences, 3 virtual and 3 in-person, beginning in May. The conferences will focus on practical concepts and practice ideas featuring facilitated deep-dive discussions, and a panel discussion including a question and answer session.

The topics and registrations will be available later in March 2025.

Find out more

For more information about the PRT Grants program, refer to Early Childhood Provisionally Registered Teacher Grants Program. For further enquiries, contact the department by email: prt.grants.program@education.vic.gov.au.

For more information about the PRT Mentor program, refer to How to find an early childhood education mentor or email: mentoring@gowrievictoria.org.au.

For more information on the Beginning Teacher Conferences, refer to the Supports for early career early childhood professionals webpage.

We invite experienced teachers and educators who are in coach and mentor roles, or hoping to become a coach or mentor, to enrol for the fully funded Coach and Mentor Training program. Registrations close 5 pm Wednesday 23 April 2025. There will be an additional intake in July 2025.

About the program

Using both face-to-face and online components, this skills-based program builds on participants’ existing knowledge and skills.

Participants will explore their current coaching and mentoring approach, and further develop positive partnerships with the colleagues they are supporting.

Additional specialist modules are available to tailor the learning to address professional learning needs or priority areas within their service.

Following completion of the program, an optional Alumni Network is available for ongoing development and support.

Find out more

For more information about eligibility and to apply, refer to: Coach and Mentor Training program.

For further enquiries, contact Workforce Retention and Recognition unit by email: early.years.workforce@education.vic.gov.au

Rosedale Uniting Early Learning, a small rural kindergarten in south-eastern Victoria, has embedded rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural aspects into their program.

Recognised at last year’s Victorian Early Years Awards, the early learning service won the Aunty Rose Bamblett Koorie Early Years Legacy Award, for amplifying the voices and experiences of Koorie families and local community members.

Embedding culture

Rosedale Uniting Early Learning has incorporated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and resources into every area of learning.

Early childhood teacher Pauline Dent said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and language is ‘sprinkled in all areas of our program, from songs and dancing, learning language, the arts, stories and truth telling, outdoor play, excursions and incursions.’

This is strengthened by meaningful collaborative partnerships with Koorie Engagement Support Officers, local Aboriginal elders and community members who regularly contribute cultural knowledge to support the program.

Staff at the service also participate in diverse specialised training, from bush tucker to Aboriginal ways of learning, so they can pass on the richness of the oldest living culture to the children, their families and the broader community.

Community feedback highlights the positive impact of the kindergarten’s inclusiveness on Koorie families.

‘Our service has been recognised by our local community, fellow professionals and the wider community as a leader in embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into our practice,’ Pauline said.

The service has shared their learnings through communities of practice and Yarning Circle meetings each term with local services within the Wellington Shire area.

Rosedale Uniting Early Learning were ‘grateful and humbled’ to be recognised for their work at last year’s Victorian Early Years Awards.

‘As we are lifelong learners, we are always critically reflecting on ways we can progress and strengthen as individuals and as a team,’ Pauline said.

‘We are all on a continuous learning journey and will continue to share and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as our first Australians to our youngest learners and that we learn, play and grow on Aboriginal land.’

Find out more

For more information about the VEYA awards, visit the list of 2024 award winners.

Aimed at celebrating the value of learning through play, Kinder Kits are custom-made backpacks that fold out to a flat play surface to allow for creative, play-based learning.

The kits are filled with books, educational toys and activities made especially for 3-year-olds to enjoy at home.

We have 2 new videos featuring the 2025 makers of educational toys included in the Kinder Kits, which you can now watch online. Through these videos, we learn more about the people behind the collection of resources that is having such a big impact in kindergarten programs across the state. We encourage you to share these stories with families.

Sparking imagination

Among the creators featured in the videos is Naomi Green (pictured above), co-founder and director of Tiger Tribe, maker of the Felt Stories Garden stickers and the backpack.

‘At Tiger Tribe, through all our products, we really want to spark imagination,’ Naomi said.

‘We want kids to learn to think creatively. So, imagination is a very strong part of product design.’

When designing the 2025 Kinder Kit backpack, Tiger Tribe’s aim was to make it more than a bag. ‘We wanted it to be something you could play in and around,’ she said.

Naomi and her team also created the Felt Stories Garden stickers. The stickers were designed to be used on the felt board interior of the backpack. The garden-themed pieces were inspired by how children explore the world during outdoor play.

‘Felt Stories Garden is a fun set where you can create little stories about gardens. Because flowers, vegetables and bugs are some of the first things that kids explore in the world around them,’ Naomi said.

This activity improves hand-eye coordination and encourages imaginative play and storytelling.

Fostering creativity

Everything inside the Kinder Kits encourages creativity and learning through play.

The kits come with various educational items, including stackable animals that are also featured in the video series.

My Creative Box was founded in 2016 with a mission to inspire little minds to explore, learn and create. Founder and chief executive officer Leanne Papadopoulos said the main aim is to spread joy and encourage kids to be their best selves.

‘We really want to empower parents to be involved in their children’s learning and development at home,’ Leanne said.

The Australian Stackable Animals included in the Kinder Kits encourage children to explore imaginative play, create stories, and learn about Australian animals and plants. Stacking and playing with the animals develops fine motor skills.

Help using the kits

For help guiding their child’s early learning and development at home, share these resources with parents and caregivers:

• a Guide for Families with tips and suggestions, available as a:
  • printed guide available in each kit
  • translated guide available in 29 languages online
  • video guide.
• video readings of the books, with Auslan translations. Heads and tails: insects by John Canty is currently available. More Auslan readings will be available in the coming months.

Find out more

Read our February edition for more information about the 2025 Kinder Kits.

For further enquiries, contact the department by email: kinder.kits@education.vic.gov.au