Dear colleagues

In this month’s edition of Early Childhood Update, we begin our countdown to World Teachers’ Day on Friday 25 October 2024 by celebrating the professionalism and expertise of Victoria’s teachers in the early years.

To mark the occasion, we are also encouraging services to use this celebration kit to recognise the work of their early childhood teachers.

Further exemplifying the outstanding qualities of Victoria’s early childhood teachers and educators, 27 inspirational finalists were recently named for this year’s Victorian Early Years Awards, to be held on Thursday 7 November 2024.

Now in their 19th year, the awards are a fitting celebration of the exceptional work happening across the sector every day, and you can learn more about the finalists in this month’s edition.

We have a big edition for you to enjoy this month, and we hope these resources and professional development opportunities continue to provide the support you need in your roles.

This month’s edition of Early Childhood Update invites you to:

• learn about the new operational policy settings shaping Pre-Prep and the Best Start, Best Life reforms
• access translated information about the School Saving Bonus that you can share with families attending your service who have a child transitioning to Prep in 2025
• take part in the Respectful Relationships learning program
• encourage parents and carers of children to take part in the Kindergarten Parent Opinion Survey
• apply for Innovation Grants
• access resources to help children from culturally and linguistically diverse families go to kindergarten
• sign up for Arrival information sessions.

And as we look ahead to 2025, you can continue your workforce planning with a range of initiatives all designed to help attract job-ready staff, while driving retention and improving job satisfaction.

You can also read how the Victorian Government is opening 50 early learning and childcare centres across the state, to be run by Early Learning Victoria. Enrolments are now open for 2025 at the first 4 centres.

All the best for the month ahead, including World Teachers’ Day celebrations.

Bronwen FitzGerald
Deputy Secretary
Early Childhood Education

From 2026 onwards, new operational policy settings will be in place to support the roll-out of Pre-Prep, and to support early access for children who will benefit from access to additional hours the most.

The changes are part of reforms that will see Four-Year-Old Kindergarten gradually transition to Pre-Prep, with programs across Victoria increasing from 15 to 30 hours each week.

While many of the of the existing requirements for funded kindergartens will continue to apply from 2026, there will be some changes that could affect your service.

Delivering Pre-Prep in 2026 – what you need to know

Children eligible for Pre-Prep from 2026 must be enrolled at least 16 hours per week for 40 weeks of the year (640 hours per year) to be eligible for funding.

This schedule specifies when Pre-Prep will roll out in each local government area and the maximum number of hours available.

The roll-out schedule also gives children from specified priority cohorts early access to Pre-Prep statewide. In 2026, this will support:

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

In addition, children who were supported by the Access to Early Learning program for Three-Year-Old Kindergarten will be eligible for Pre-Prep from 2026.

We encourage you to start planning how your service will deliver Pre-Prep to children for priority cohorts from 2026. Many of these children will currently be enrolling in Three-Year-Old Kindergarten for 2025, providing services with insights into the potential number of children accessing Pre-Prep in 2026.

Children from priority cohorts can be enrolled in more than one group at a service to fulfill hourly enrolment requirements.

We also encourage you to consider how Pre-Prep can be delivered while maintaining the number of 3- and 4-year-old enrolments at the service.

To help support all eligible children to access a funded Pre-Prep place locally, all services intending to reduce Pre-Prep places to below their current number of 4-year-old enrolments must notify the department.

Service providers will be informed when a risk emerges that children in a service’s local area may not be able to access a funded Pre-Prep place. In these circumstances, the department will work with services in that local area to increase the number of enrolments.

Are there any changes to Three-Year-Old Kindergarten?

As Pre-Prep rolls out, we want to build on the successes of the roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.

Services are expected to continue to deliver, or work towards delivering, 15 hours of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.

To support this, all services that intend to reduce Three-Year-Old Kindergarten hours or enrolments to accommodate Pre-Prep must notify the department for approval.

What are the changes for children seeking an additional year of funded kindergarten?

Currently, children meeting the eligibility requirements can access an additional year of funded Four-Year-Old Kindergarten, but not Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.

From 2026, children meeting the eligibility requirements due to their learning and development needs can access an additional year of funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten or an additional year of funded Pre-Prep, but not both.

We will provide further information about this policy change in 2025.

Find out more

For more information, refer to:

• Operational policy settings to apply from 2026
• Pre-Prep
• Early childhood education.

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

As part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to giving children the best start to life, we’re building 50 early learning childcare centres in areas of greatest need across the state, with enrolments at 4 centres opening next year now open.

The newly created Early Learning Victoria will operate the 50 government-owned and run early learning and childcare centres, which will offer long day care, three- and four-year-old kinder, and in line with the roll-out schedule, Pre-Prep.

Centres opening in 2025

The centres opening in 2025 will be located with schools in the following locations:

Find out more

For more information, to learn about job openings or to join the waitlist, please refer to the Early Learning Victoria website.

For further enquiries, contact Early Learning Victoria:

• Phone: 03 9057 4444
• Email: ELV@education.vic.gov.au

The Victorian Government is delivering more kindergartens right across the state, with 20 new or expanded kindergartens set to open their doors in Term 1, 2025.

Conveniently located at government schools, these 20 kindergartens will collectively deliver more than 2,600 kindergarten places for local children, giving more families access to a world-class kindergarten, close to home.

Locating kindergartens on or close to schools helps children get the most out of their early learning, makes drop-off easier for busy parents and carers, and provides a smoother transition to primary school.

Successful service providers

Thirteen providers will lead kindergarten and Pre-Prep programs at the kindergartens, and we look forward to working with these providers as the new services are established.

While the majority of these are interim service names, we can advise that the successful service providers are:

• Community Kinders Plus
  • Tootgarook Primary School Kindergarten
• Gannawarra Shire Council
  • Kerang South Primary School Kindergarten
• Early Childhood Management Services
  • Barayip Primary School Kindergarten
  • Thornbury High School Kindergarten
  • Topirum Primary School Kindergarten
• Emerge Early Years Services
  • Dimboola Primary School Kindergarten
  • Nhill Early Learning Centre at Nhill College
• Eureka Community Kindergarten Association
  • Ballan Primary School Kindergarten
• Gippsland Lakes Complete Health
  • Lakes Entrance Primary School Kindergarten
• Gowrie
  • Broadmeadows Valley Primary School Kindergarten
• Kids First Australia
  • Devon Meadows Primary School Kindergarten
  • Wallan Secondary College Kindergarten
• North-East Regional Pre-School Association
  • Whitfield District Primary School Kindergarten
• Northern Grampians Shire
  • St Arnaud Modular Kindergarten at St Arnaud Primary School
• Northern Schools Early Years Cluster
  • Greenvale Primary School Kindergarten
• Shine Bright EYM
  • Echuca Primary School Kindergarten
  • Mildura South Primary School Kindergarten
• Uniting (Vic/Tas)
  • Swifts Creek P-12 Kindergarten (Flagstaff Campus)
  • Wonthaggi North Primary School Kindergarten
  • Yea Primary School Kindergarten.

From 2025, Four-Year-Old Kindergarten will gradually transition to Pre-Prep. Children starting their 4-year-old program at primary school kindergartens in Yea, St Arnaud, Kerang South and Dimboola will be among the first to access this.

Find out more

For more information, refer to Kinders at Schools.

Following our article in September about the School Saving Bonus, translated parent and carer resources are now available, outlining key actions to help ensure parents and carers receive the School Saving Bonus in 14 different languages.

If you have families attending your service with a child transitioning to Prep in 2025 and need access to translated resources, please refer to our School Saving Bonus website to access information you can share with parents and carers, so they can enrol and be eligible for this financial support.

The School Saving Bonus will provide $400 in support for Victorian school-aged students in Term 4, 2024 for use on 2025 school costs. This includes parents and carers of children in Four-Year-Old Kindergarten who are enrolled to start school in Term 1, 2025.

Families will be able to choose how they spend the $400 bonus – on school activities, or school uniforms and textbooks, or a mixture of all 3.

Actions for parents and carers

To receive the School Saving Bonus, parents and carers of children who are attending a Victorian government school in 2025 are required to do the following by Friday 18 October 2024:

• Complete enrolment: families will need to enrol children to start Prep in 2025. For more information, please direct families to Enrolling in School
• Check contact information: families must ensure their phone number and email address are up to date with the school. To do this, they should contact the school directly.

Who receives the School Saving Bonus

The School Saving Bonus is available for parents and carers of each Victorian government school student from Prep to Year 12 in 2025, except for full-fee international students, home-schooled students, and TAFE students.

Non-government school students receiving the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund in 2024 are eligible for additional support through the School Saving Bonus.

Updates from the Premier and Minister for Education

To hear more about the School Saving Bonus, download and share with parents and carers the School Saving Bonus video and letter from the Premier and Minister for Education, available on the website.

Thank you in advance for sharing this information about the School Saving Bonus with families in your community.

Find out more

For more information, refer to the School Saving Bonus website.

For further enquiries, please contact the department by email: school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au

The Respectful Relationships initiative is offering free online professional learning for early childhood educators (bachelor, diploma, or certificate III qualified) in Victorian Government-funded kindergarten services.

The online learning program will run in November and December 2024. The program aims to strengthen the capacity of early childhood 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 improving gender equality in their teaching practice
• recognise and respond to family violence and build support networks.

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

About the program

The program consists of one full-day workshop, and one 2-hour self-paced module.

The professional learning is an item on the School Readiness Funding Menu.

The department is offering a financial contribution to services that need backfill for staff who join this training. Services can also use the menu to arrange for backfill or additional support.

Event details

• Date: From 11 November to 6 December 2024
• Time: 9 am to 3 pm
• Platform: Online
• Cost: Free.

To register, visit Respectful Relationships in early childhood.

Find out more

For more information, refer to the Early childhood education training – health and wellbeing website.

Parents and carers of children enrolled in a funded kindergarten program are invited to take part in this year’s Kindergarten Parent Opinion Survey (KPOS).

The survey, running from Monday 14 October 2024 to Friday 8 November 2024, is a great opportunity for families to give feedback on their child’s kindergarten program, so services can continue to provide quality early years education that is responsive to their community.

We encourage all funded kindergarten services to share the survey to parents of children enrolled in their funded Three or Four-Year-Old Kindergarten programs – and we’ll send you resources to help.

Key things about the survey

The survey only takes a few minutes to complete. It includes questions asking parents about their service’s educational program and quality, as well as their child’s learning and development.

The survey is offered in 10 languages other than English, so even more people can take part.

To help services tell families about the survey when it opens, we will send providers resources including posters, fact sheets and an email template, and a link to the survey.

Results will be available in 2025 for providers and services where 5 or more families from a service have completed the survey.

The Social Research Centre is running the survey on behalf of the department.

Resounding results from last year’s survey

Last year more than 18,354 parents of children enrolled in funded Three or Four-Year-Old Kindergarten programs took part in the survey, and the verdict was exceptionally positive.

Responses from parents at a state-wide level revealed:

• 90% of parents thought the overall quality of education offered was good
• more than 93% of parents think attending kindergarten is important for their child’s education
• 94% of parents said that the service is welcoming and inclusive of all children.

These results are a testament to the wonderful work of our kindergarten services, teachers and educators.

For more information on last year’s survey results, head to 2023 Kindergarten Parent Opinion Survey.

Find out more

For more information, refer to the Kindergarten Parent Opinion Survey.

The Victorian Government is calling for parents to take part in a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) survey, so families can continue to receive the support they need in raising happy and healthy children.

The survey is open to those with children from birth to school age who have accessed MCH services in the past 2 years.

We are urging early childhood services to let parents and carers know about the survey, which will close Sunday 17 November 2024.

Community voice is central to ensuring Victoria’s MCH service delivers fit-for-purpose, high-quality outcomes for children, families and carers.

Feedback from parents and carers will inform and shape the future of MCH services for Victorian children and families.

Promoting the survey

The Department of Health has prepared word templates, digital flyers, key messages, and suggested copy to help you promote the survey with parents and families.

We kindly request your support in using these materials to promote the survey with your community.

Find out more

For more information, refer to the Maternal and Child Health survey.

For further enquiries, contact the Department of Health by email: mch@health.vic.gov.au

Following celebrations for Early Childhood Educators’ Day on Wednesday 4 September 2024, we are also pleased to announce the finalists for the 2024 Victorian Early Years Awards – and it’s another outstanding field!

This year, 27 outstanding nominees are vying for honours at the award event being held on Thursday 7 November 2024, and we extend our congratulations to each of them.

Now in their 19th year, the awards are a fitting celebration of the exceptional work happening across the sector every day.

This year’s finalists again reflect everything the sector does to support Victoria’s children and their families in the critical early years of their lifelong education journey.

You can learn more about the finalists and their achievements across 9 award categories at the Victorian Early Years Awards website. Their stories include:

• a program inspiring young children to imagine future endeavours in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
• a playgroup that not only creates an inclusive space for culturally and linguistically diverse community members, but also has a strong emphasis on adult learning
• a regional partnership delivering an intergenerational program that sees children visiting aged care residents
• a small rural service delivering an inclusive, nature-based education program for children aged 6 months to 6 years
• a partnership between 3 kindergartens that are strongly committed to embedding Aboriginal perspectives within their early years’ curriculums to enhance cultural awareness, inclusivity and respect for diversity.

About the Victorian Early Years Awards

Finalists were selected by an expert panel of judges following a thorough shortlisting and judging process.

Winners receive grants of $15,000 towards professional development or to further develop their program or initiative.

A separate Minister’s Award winner will be selected by the Minister for Children, Hon Minister Lizzie Blandthorn MP, from finalists across all categories as a special commendation.

Find out more

For more information, refer to the Victorian Early Years Awards website.

With World Teachers’ Day coming up on Friday 25 October 2024, we took the chance to hear first-hand what working in early childhood education means, and why it is so important in guiding young learners in Victoria to be the best they can be.

According to Montana Slavik, an education leader at Renown Kindergarten and early childhood scholarship recipient, there are many reasons why professionals find working in the sector so rewarding.

After beginning her career in education at a secondary school, Montana made the move into early childhood education in 2018. It was a natural career path for her to take, having previously worked as a youth mentor, nanny and high school theatre production team member.

Montana said her shift into early childhood fell into place through positive study and work placement opportunities, and ‘at the end of the day, I really just loved it!’.

Montana is one of many people in the sector who are inspired by the opportunity to have a lasting impact on the lives of hundreds of young children and their families.

‘Working in a kindergarten is incredibly rewarding,’ Montana said. ‘I am so passionate about how children learn and develop and all the different approaches you can take to support children to be successful.

‘The joy of teaching comes from the everyday moments of connection and discovery shared with our children. I love the challenge of being innovative and creative to support their diverse learning needs.’

Advocating for the early years

‘Our role is multi-faceted and extends beyond the kindergarten, including working with families and helping to share the benefits of early education with the wider community,’ Montana said.

‘We aim to build children’s confidence and sense of wellbeing while maintaining their motivation to actively engage in learning with others.’

Montana takes a proactive approach in her teaching and is always inspired by the education professionals she works with every day.

Surrounded by colleagues and senior leaders, they work together to continuously grow and evolve as early childhood professionals and provide the best play-based learning experiences for children in their programs.

A varied and valuable career

Early childhood education is a career where you can help shape young minds, in a variety of settings.

‘Through my varied experiences, I've learned invaluable lessons in adaptability, empathy and the profound impact of early childhood education on young minds and families,’ Montana said.

With a desire to grow professionally and continue to make a difference to our children across Victoria, Montana successfully applied to the department for an early childhood scholarship to become an early childhood teacher and will continue to pursue opportunities for learning and development.

Montana’s experience embodies the belief that a career in early childhood provides tremendous opportunities to build a valuable career.

This commitment that Montana shares with many more professionals in our sector, is celebrated on World Teachers Day.

Share stories of your team

If you have a story that you’d like to share about an early childhood educator or teacher at your service please let us know. We would love to talk to them about what drives them in their work and explore the impact they have.

You can contact the department’s communications team using the email address below.

Find out more

For more information, refer to:

• World Teachers Day
• Kinder: Best Start, Best Life
• Financial support to study and work in early childhood.

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

We know how important attracting and retaining high quality staff is, so we’ve developed a range of supports and programs to help you continue to recruit and develop the workforce you need in 2025 and beyond.

These initiatives are all designed to help you to bring new staff into your service, drive retention and improve job satisfaction, while also supporting you to deliver high-quality kindergarten programs.

Ways to build your workforce

Communicate the value you place on the professional growth of your team by accessing and promoting the programs and resources below.

• Find out about the tailored courses and support available through the Early Childhood Tertiary Partnership program to upskill your existing staff, take on a new job-ready trainee or build relationships with soon-to-graduate students on placement. These courses allow students to learn at a pace and in a format that suits their needs.
• Take a look at the financial supports available to study and work in early childhood including generous scholarships and Free TAFE options for the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care.
• Access the dedicated Victorian Early Childhood Jobs website and the recruitment kit for advice and resources, and contact the recruitment agency support panel for assistance in sourcing local, interstate and New Zealand candidates. Financial incentives are also available for eligible teachers and educators taking up roles in priority locations.
• Tap into the extensive range of professional learning and networking opportunities to enhance the skills and capabilities of your existing teachers and educators.

Reach out to your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch to help you navigate these options.

Find out more

For more information, refer to:

• Early Childhood Tertiary Partnership program
• Financial support available to study and work in early childhood
• Recruiting new teachers and educators for the Best Start, Best Life reforms
• Training and support for early childhood professionals.

The department has updated the assessment process for the Kindergarten Inclusion Support (KIS) program to make it easier for funded kindergarten services to get the support they need.

From Monday 7 October 2024, we are asking all services to submit their KIS applications online, for assessment by Australian Healthcare Associates.

Please ensure you upload any future applications on the KIS applications website.

If you need assistance or to discuss alternative submission arrangements, please contact the KIS application support team using the details listed below.

About the KIS program

The KIS program offers support for funded kindergarten services to enable greater inclusion of children with disability, developmental delay or complex medical needs.

With this process change, we aim to improve the application process for services.

There is no change to KIS eligibility criteria. Services can still contact KIS providers in their area to seek support with KIS applications.

Find out more

For more information, please refer to the Kindergarten Inclusion Support webpage.

For further enquiries, please contact the KIS application support team by phone: 1300 564 149.

If you have an idea for an innovative, place-based initiative to support the retention of early career early childhood teachers (ECTs) and educators, the Innovation Grants Program can help you make it a reality.

Applications are open now, so if you think you’ve got an idea that could make a difference, visit the Innovation Grants Program webpage to submit an application by Friday 1 November 2024.

How it works

The program provides approved providers of state-funded early childhood services in Victoria grants of $5,000 (excl. GST) up to $50,000 (excl. GST) to implement innovative projects to improve the retention of ECTs and educators in the first 5 years of their careers.

Successful funding recipients will then have 12 months to implement the innovative project proposed in their application.

Applications close at 5 pm on Friday 1 November 2024.

Webinar offering grant application support

To help you learn more about the program guidelines and application process, you are encouraged to attend the How to Apply for the 2024-25 Innovation Grants Program webinar.

• Date: Tuesday 15 October 2024
• Time: 4 pm to 5 pm
• Format: Online.

To register for the webinar, visit trybooking.

You can also access free professional writing assistance to help you address the 5 selection criteria appropriately and submit a high-quality application. Visit the Innovation Grants Program webpage for more information.

Find out more

For more information, refer to the Innovation Grants Program webpage.

For inquiries, contact the department by email: early.years.workforce.grants@education.vic.gov.au

With the release of the operational policy settings, which will apply to all funded kindergarten services in Victoria from 2026, planning for Pre-Prep is now well and truly underway.

As part of your preparations, your service may need additional supports to help you engage with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families.

And to help ensure as many children as possible experience the benefits of 2 years of kindergarten, we have a range of supports available to help break down barriers to access that some families may experience.

We encourage services to refer to Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten for information to help support CALD families access kindergarten.

These resources will help with communicating to families about the benefits of kindergarten and how to access it.

They may also support your conversations with families from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds about their eligibility for early access to Pre-Prep in 2026.

Supporting CALD families webpage

The Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten webpage provides information, videos, and links to various initiatives that support access to early childhood education, including the:

• Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) program
• CALD Outreach Initiative
• the Brotherhood of St Laurence Family Learning Support program
• Foundation House Early Years Program
• Children’s Services Cultural Inclusion Support.

Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) enrolment in Three-Year-Old Kindergarten in 2025 can also serve as a valuable planning tool for your service, as children eligible for ESK in 2025 are the same children who will be eligible for Pre-Prep in 2026.

Translation services

We have a range of support options available to help overcome language barriers.

Please refer to Use an interpreter in early childhood services for information about the free telephone, video and on-site interpreters and free translation services for written documents available for all department funded kindergarten services.

You can also refer to the Information about kindergarten in your language webpage to access information in 30 languages, outlining what early childhood education is, how and when to enrol, how to access Early Start Kindergarten and more.

Services can also order printed translated resources through the Victorian Kindergarten Resources Portal. Through this portal, services can order printed translated resources in 30 different languages at no cost, as well as downloadable materials for digital use.

Communicating to your community

The Communicating about kindergarten to your community webpage has a wide range of resources to help you communicate about kindergarten to local families and the wider community.

You may find this page especially useful at the start of the kindergarten year, or at the start of the enrolment period. Communication packs include:

• sample text
• fact sheets
• talking points
• social media tiles
• website content
• newsletter content.

Find out more

For more information, refer to:

• Supporting CALD families to engage in kindergarten
• Communicating about kindergarten to your community.

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

In previous editions of Early Childhood Update, we explained that Arrival will gradually replace the Kindergarten Information Management System (KIMS) as the new system for kindergarten data reporting.

Throughout October, we’re hosting online information sessions where KIMS Service Provider Admins – and any other interested staff – can learn more about the new system.

To ensure sessions are focused on the information you need, we will provide separate sessions for long day care services and sessional services.

For sessional services, there’ll also be specific information about how Arrival will enable the collection and reporting of attendance data, with evening sessions also available.

Session details

The department is hosting online information sessions about Arrival to help as many people as possible to attend.

The one-hour sessions will cover:

• how to gain access to Arrival
• Annual Confirmation
• attendance data collection and reporting
• functions continuing in KIMS for 2025
• new information to be reported in Arrival
• resources and support.

To see the full list of session dates, along with more information about the sessions and how to register, visit the Arrival information session webpage.

Reminder to update your email address

In September 2024, we emailed service providers with a link to instructions on how to identify and update any non-compliant email addresses in KIMS to support the transition to Arrival.

We would like to remind service providers that all active users must have compliant email addresses in KIMS by the start of November 2024.

This will ensure changes are made prior to the annual KIMS end-of-year shutdown period.

To access the step-by-step instructions, visit the Arrival creating compliant email addresses webpage and open the instructions that apply to your service.

Find out more

For more information, refer to the Arrival homepage.

For further enquiries, contact the department’s Arrival Implementation team by email: arrival.implementation@education.vic.gov.au