Reach Out to Families of Young Children 

Starting school is a major step for all children. This project has led to the creation of resources that families can use to support their young child’s readiness for school. We know that children who start school ready to learn have better educational outcomes.  Schools and community groups recognise that not all children have the opportunities to be as prepared as they need to be. By using these resources the community will be better able to reach out to the families. This grant has created resources to be used by the community to reach out to the families so they can give their child school readiness opportunities.

To change the educational outcomes for children in multicultural communities, targeted and culturally appropriate early intervention approaches are required. These children are educationally behind (increased by COVID-19) due to identified family vulnerabilities of literacy, digital skills, language, income, disability and social connection. Many of these children are starting school not ready, with no formal early childhood experiences or services to managed delays in development or disability.  

A report released since the start of this grant further highlights the impacts on a group that has already been identified as needing targeted support.

“The latest release shows that while COVID-19 and lockdowns have impacted on children’s development, particularly in relation to the language and cognitive skills domain, the impact may not be as significant as we may have expected. The impact, however, does not appear to have been evenly felt, with larger increases in developmental vulnerability seen for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children living in the most disadvantaged areas of Australia.” 

CELA Blog post, April 7, 2022.

About EarlyEd’s Multicultural NSW “COVID-19 Innovation Grant”

The grant that created Ready to Learn Together involved a partnership of local schools, community groups, early childhood services and services delivering early childhood intervention and provided the opportunity to:

• come together,
• consider the needs of local children,
• shares ideas about how to support children

The group recognises the challenges local families face in understanding the school system and how to support their children. They are in a position to get information to family members in a way that will have a real impact.  

As a result, the grant has created information:  

• in the formats and languages that can reach parents and  
• shares key messages they have identified as being important.  

There is more to learn. There is more to do.  

The finish date for this grant, unfortunately, occurs at the time parents can really make a difference to school starters (the last 6 months before school starts i.e. July to January). This year, the community will have access to more resources to use as they reach out to families. Schools will have new posters, videos in various languages, postcards, and social media material to share.  

Community groups, preschools and childcare services will have material to use with the parents of younger children. This will encourage them to prepare their child for their school future over a longer period.   

The risk of a short-term grant is short-term impact. To manage this risk, EarlyEd is committed to creating resources for long-term impact and value. It is also committed to making sure knowledge about this resource is widely shared and used.  

There is a longer-term project to undertake recordings in more languages and organise more translations. We need feedback from families about how they used the information and its value. We need to follow up with community groups to find out if the information and formats met their needs and the needs of the families in their community.  

Grant partners 

A key focus of EarlyEd’s programs for over 40 years is supporting families through the process of transitioning their children to school and supporting children to be as ready as possible. The many partners we currently work and have worked with over the years have informed our practices and increased our knowledge about how best to support families. By codesigning our approach to this grant and jointly determining key messages, we have brought together local knowledge and extensive community expertise. We thank our key contributors who represent a wide range of community services, for their ideas, commitment and for facing the camera! 

Even though our partners are based in Cumberland Area, Western Sydney, the resources will have applicability across a wide range of communities. Every community has a family who is unsure about how and when to support their child, is newly arrived in the community or prefers information in their first language.