From 2023, all three- and four-year-old children from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds have been able access a free or low-cost kindergarten program through DE.
Free Kinder
Free Kinder was available in 97 per cent of funded kindergarten services. This allowed children to attend kindergarten for free or at a reduced cost for:
- between five to 15 hours per week for Three-Year-Old Kindergarten
- 15 hours per week for Four-Year-Old Kindergarten.
Kindergarten subsidies
The Kindergarten Fee Subsidy allowed access to a free or low-cost kindergarten program for eligible families in Four-Year-Old Kindergarten programs. Also, Early Start Kindergarten supported eligible three-year-old children to access up to 15 hours of free or low-cost kindergarten per week. DE’s Pre-Purchased Kindergarten Places reserved places for children experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage to enrol outside of normal enrolment periods.
Early Childhood Language Program
The Early Childhood Language Program supported around 7,000 four-year-old children in funded kindergartens to learn a language other than English (DE: $5.38m in 2022–23). Around 190 kindergartens offered learning in-language three hours per week, and 10 kindergartens offered learning in-language for 12 hours per week. The program employs about 200 language teachers and is delivered in 22 languages including six different Aboriginal languages, Arabic, Auslan, Cantonese, Mandarin, Chin Hakha, French, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Karen, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Early Years Program
DE funded Foundation House to deliver the Early Years Program with expanded activities to support new arrivals from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Myanmar/Burma. This included a series of videos on transitions from kindergarten to school in Afghan community languages such as Dari, Pashto and Hazaragi. These videos were co-designed with communities from Afghanistan to increase understanding of the importance of early years education and to help with the transition to school.
Refugee Education Support Initiative
The Refugee Education Support Initiative helped build the capacity of schools to meet the education and wellbeing needs of students and families from refugee backgrounds (DE: $2.60m in 2022–23).
There were three initiatives delivered under this program:
- The Refugee Education Support Program, delivered by Foundation House and the Centre for Multicultural Youth, supported 35 schools across five government and non-government school clusters to support the achievement, engagement, and wellbeing of students from refugee backgrounds.
- The Schools Support Program delivered professional development sessions to more than 2,000 school staff across Victoria.
- Learning Beyond the Bell supported more than 200 homework clubs and established 12 new clubs with resources, advice and training for coordinators and volunteer tutors.
Place-based partnertships
DE’s Place Based Partnerships to Support School Engagement and Completion Initiative funded 26 school communities with high populations of students from African and Pasifika backgrounds to co-design and deliver place-based approaches to increase school participation and completion (DE: $2.00m in 2022–23). DE partnered with North Melbourne Football Club (the Huddle), Mushroom Group and Melbourne Victory to deliver tailored face-to-face school holiday programs for culturally diverse young people.
Victorian African Communities Action Plan
DE also funded 24 school communities with high populations of students with African backgrounds as part of their commitment to the Victorian African Communities Action Plan (DE: $2.60m in 2022–23). DE recruited an African heritage school community liaison officer to coordinate activities aimed at boosting educational engagement among African heritage students and their parents. DE also funded 14 African-led community organisations to deliver extra tuition in a culturally safe space for young people of African heritage who need extra support.
Case study
Connecting schools with Indian communities
Preston South Primary School used Connecting Schools with Indian Communities funding to create its own Bollywood-style film. With the support of teachers and volunteer parents, the students scripted, acted, and directed the film, which combined dance, drama, humour, and moral punchlines. The final product was a culmination of the students' diverse skillsets and allowed every student to shine. Parents and members of the local Indian community were also involved in creating the film.
There were close to 1,000 local community members at the viewing of the film, who enthusiastically participated in the dancing, singing and celebrations of diversity.
School principal Leon Leonadis said:
It is often hard for us to get our Indian families involved in the school. It was terrific to see them attend the viewing. We have had two families from India want to enrol at our school stating that they heard about the film and how inclusive we are.
Updated