An intensive early childhood education and care model trial

About the trial

The Australian Government is providing $9.5 million for an intensive early childhood education and care model trial.

The model is designed to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children to bridge the gap to school readiness, for children from birth up to 3 years.

The model has a dual focus:

• To redress the impacts of trauma on children. This is done through trauma-informed and attachment-focused care.
• To provide an enriched early learning and care environment. This is done through a rigorously developed curriculum and intentional pedagogy.

Key elements of the model include:

• partnering with families as children’s first teachers
• child participation in the program for 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, 50 weeks per year, over 3 years
• implementation by qualified teachers and educators and a full-time coordinator and pedagogical leader
• small group sizes to enable individualised care, teaching and learning
• provision of 75% of a child’s daily nutritional needs
• access to a senior infant mental health consultant and a family services practitioner
• no cost for participating families
• monitoring, coaching and support for staff to build their professional knowledge and skills
• transitional supports for children after the trial.

The trial builds on a research project by the University of Melbourne. The project found that targeted, intensive early childhood education and care can lead to extraordinary improvements in a child’s cognitive skills, resilience and socio-emotional development.

The trial contributes to Closing the Gap Targets 3 and 4.

The Parkville Institute is leading the trial.

• The Australian Government is providing $9.5 million to support the trial. This funding is supplemented by philanthropic and state government funding.

Sites

The trial is taking place across 4 sites, with 2 confirmed at:

• Cooke Court Uniting SEED Richmond, Victoria
• Boori Milumba, Cullunghutti Aboriginal Child and Family Centre Nowra, New South Wales.

Boori Milumba is a dedicated First Nations site. To ensure it is culturally safe, SNAICC – the National Voice for our Children, is leading the co-development of the site, in partnership with local communities and First Nations leaders.

The trial will benefit up to 200 children from birth to 3 years across the 4 sites that have commenced.

Progress and outcomes

Following commencement, progress will be monitored and evaluated at each site.

We will provide information and updates as it becomes available.

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