Innovation Grants Program

To be eligible to receive an Innovation Grant, an organisation must satisfy each of the following:

• be an approved provider of a state-funded early childhood service in Victoria
• employ at least one early career ECT or educator (i.e. an ECT or educator in the first 5 years of their career)
• meet the obligations of the Education and Care Services National Law and the Education and Care Services National Regulations with no significant compliance issues or incidents outstanding with the department
• not owe any money to the department as a result of previous funding or grants
• has the appropriate type and level of insurance for the activities that are the subject of this grant
• commit to presenting about the implementation of the proposed project at the virtual showcase event held at the conclusion of the funding period
• not have received funding by other means (including Victorian Government funding) explicitly for the purpose of implementing the proposed project
• outline in the budget proposal if funding from other sources will be used to supplement the grant funding being requested to implement the project.
• agree that, if selected as a successful applicant, they will be required to enter into a funding agreement with the department.

For the purposes of the Innovation Grants, ‘innovation’ is defined as ‘new ideas, projects and initiatives that advance ECT and/or educator retention practices in the early childhood sector’.

Applicants are encouraged to be creative and submit proposals for projects that would trial new and innovative ways to support the retention of early career ECTs and educators.

The case studies below highlights the achievements of some of the 2021-22 Innovation Grants Program grant recipients.

Examples of possible projects include:

• Collaboration between early childhood services and/or organisations to make better use of resources and technology that support ECT and educator retention.
• Early childhood services collaborating to implement a shared ‘deep dive’ induction program for early career teachers and educators.
• Set up a trial of ECT and educator rotation across early childhood services in a local area, including between long day care and sessional services.
• Pilot an ECT and educator career pathway program through a partnership with early childhood services providing different career development opportunities.

Proposals to use the grant funding on any of the following will be unsuccessful, as they are not considered innovative:

• Business as usual’, and compliance activities and costs (e.g. payroll support, regular performance management and induction activities).
• Any form of bonus payments to early career ECTs and/or educators.
• Projects that replicate existing programs offered by the department to support workforce retention, such as the training and support for early childhood professionals(opens in a new window) provided by the department, including coaching and mentoring services.
• Hiring additional ECTs or educators to work with children.

Please note that no funding can be used for activities involving contact with children that require the supervision of, or authority over, children, other than one-off activities, or activities which result in incidental or ad hoc contact with children. This means, funding can be used to provide back-fill to ECTs and/or educators participating in the project activities.

Monash Vale Early Learning Centre

Watch the below video to learn about the EMPOWER project that was co-developed by the leadership teaching team at Monash Vale Early Learning Centre:

If you would like to learn more about the EMPOWER project, please contact Monash Vale Early Learning Centre.

Northern Schools Early Years Cluster Inc. (NSEYC)

The Northern Schools Early Years Cluster Inc. (NSEYC) received $30,000 through the 2021-22 Innovation Grants Program to introduce a Peer to Peer (P2P) Learning Program.

As part of the program, early career ECTs were given the opportunity to visit other NSEYC services and learn from their peers. Participants were encouraged to share their ideas, skills and knowledge. They were supported to undertake structured critical reflection to evaluate and develop their leadership abilities.

The P2P Learning Program motivated participants to learn and grow. Survey responses showed early career ECTs were inspired to trial new ideas and strategies in their own workplaces. Some participants have even gained educational leadership positions in NSEYC’s services. These positions came after building their leadership skills in the P2P Learning Program.

For NSEYC, the benefits of the program were immense. The P2P Learning Program encouraged staff to strengthen their programs and promoted a culture of continuous learning across the organisation. It also supported the retention of early career ECTs.

City of Ballarat

The City of Ballarat received $25,000 through the 2021-22 Innovation Grants Program and partnered with Federation University to develop a 12-month induction and professional network program.

The program had 4 facilitated sessions. Early career ECTs from the City of Ballarat and neighbouring areas gathered to learn about local services providing support for these areas:

• Supporting Children with Diverse Needs
• Child Safety and Wellbeing
• Supporting a Positive Transition to School
• Children’s Health and Development

Experienced ECTs and guest speakers from the local community services provided real life examples of how they have worked together to support children and their families. They also explained how best to seek assistance when needed.

Participants appreciated these opportunities to come together, learn from each other and discuss how to access the support available in the Ballarat community.

As one participant wrote in an evaluation survey, “the workshops clarified the connection between early childhood centres and local available services for teachers, families and children.”

Importantly, all participants in the program also indicated that they were either likely or very likely to continue working in the early childhood sector for the next 5 years.

The 2024-25 Innovation Grants Program will be conducted in accordance with the below mentioned guidelines.

• 2024-25 Innovation Grants Program Guidelines (DOCX, 7.2MB)(opens in a new window)
• 2024-25 Innovation Grants Program Guidelines (PDF, 715KB)(opens in a new window)

For more information about retention-focused initiatives offered by the department, visit the Supports for early career early childhood teachers(opens in a new window) webpage.

For enquiries, contact the Innovation Grants Program Team via early.years.workforce.grants@education.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window)