School Readiness Funding is a component of the Victorian kindergarten funding model and is allocated to services to ensure that children who require extra support receive it.
This funding provides kindergartens with additional resources to enhance their programs and improve outcomes for children, as they prepare for primary school.
School Readiness Funding supports both 3-year-old and 4-year-old children in all early childhood education and care services that deliver state-funded kindergarten programs in Victoria, like our services at the Y.
Kirrip Kindergarten- Lending Library
At Kirrip Kindergarten in Wollert, with the support of our School Readiness Funding (SRF), we’ve began a program called ‘The Take Home Reader Program’ through the menu item ‘Lending Library’. Every week, children in our 4-year-old program take home a ‘Mini First Reader’ to enjoy with their families. These books are very short and simple which helps each child build on their comprehension. We also have Bi-lingual books available for our non-English speaking families. The educators and families can then communicate with each other on how their child’s reading is going via their reader log book.
Connecting with our local Primary School Prep teacher team, we’ve developed a selection of stories tailored to both our children’s age group and the diverse linguistic backgrounds of our families. This initiative addresses a crucial need identified by families: a lack of quality books at home, uncertainty about where to find good readers, and a lack of motivation to engage in regular reading routines. Additionally, these books are to help promote school readiness and to aid in a smooth transition to school.
Through this program, we not only provide access to books but also model effective reading techniques to parents, helping them deepen their children’s comprehension skills by asking the right questions during story time. The impact has been notable for our Kirrip families, thanks to the invaluable support of SRF funding, which has significantly boosted our literacy levels.
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