Council’s Kindergarten Outreach Program is helping support children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds to enrol and participate in kindergarten
The program supports children and families, including those that have recently arrived in Australia, to enrol and participate in three and four-year-old kindergarten, to engage in early childhood support services, and to transition to primary school.
Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Rob Steane OAM, said the program supports families from diverse backgrounds.
“Council’s Kindergarten Outreach Program is an important part of diversity and inclusivity in Maroondah, as it provides support to Maroondah families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who may be experiencing difficulties accessing early childhood education. We are proud to offer this service for our community,” Cr Steane said.
Feedback from a local kindergarten shows the benefits of the program, in particular helping many Burmese families navigate their way through the complexities of school enrolment, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) applications, Kindergarten Inclusion Support (KIS) applications and other important forms.
“This led to many families gaining support that would otherwise have been missed by bridging the language gap,” a teacher at Croydon Central Kinder said.
In addition, the team has built safe and familiar relationships with many families and acts as a liaison between the kinder and its families.
Maroondah residents Chin and Thang said the Kindergarten Outreach Program has been helpful in many ways while enrolling their child, Thawng, in kindergarten.
The kindergarten outreach team has supported the family with a range of documents, including enrolment forms, identity documents and Medicare forms, along with translation assistance and connecting the family with local schools, supported playgroup, maternal child and health services, and refugee support services.
“The program is really good. It has been really helpful with a lot of things,” Chin said.
