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Kindy uplift pilot

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​​​​​​​​​​​The Kindy uplift pilot will enable selected kindergarten services to respond to the educational and developmental needs of kindergarten children.

More than 400 kindergarten program providers will take part in the Kindy uplift pilot to improve early learning outcomes from Term 2 (April) 2022.

The 3-year pilot will target kindergarten services, including community kindergartens and long day care services, to improve early learning outcomes for up to 13,500 children each year.

Kindy uplift funding will be used to respond to children’s learning and development needs through evidence-based initiatives that lift outcomes for kindy children.

The Kindy uplift pilot will fund programs, resources, supports and professional development to build educator capability, support inclusion and improve children’s learning and development.

The department will work closely with sector partners, approved kindergarten service providers and suppliers with expertise and experience in the early years to deliver the pilot.

Eligible se​rvices

The department has invited more than 400 pre-selected eligible kindergartens in Queensland, including community kindergartens and long day care services, to participate in the Kindy uplift pilot.

Kindies were pre-selected based on characteristics predictive of educational need and where additional funding can provide the greatest opportunity to improve learning and development outcomes for children.

Kindy uplift​​ funding

The amount of funding services receive is dependent on the level of educational need and enrolment numbers at the service.

Kindy uplift funding will be used to strengthen children’s access to, and meaningful participation in, the full range of kindergarten experiences.

The Kindy uplift pilot focuses on 5 priority areas:

  1. social and emotional capability
  2. physicality
  3. thinking and responding
  4. oral language and communication
  5. access and inclusion.

Services will submit annual uplift plans to demonstrate how the funding is being used to improve outcomes for kindergarten children.

Kindy uplift decision-mak​ing guide

The Kindy uplift decision-making guide​ provides information to assist services with their Kindy uplift plans. Making decisions about how best to utilise Kindy uplift funding involves accounting for a number of considerations. This guide aims to support kindergartens and advisors by providing:

  • descriptions of professional learning and practice supports
  • ​alignment to the Queensland kindergarten learning guidelines (QKLG)
  • implementation considerations
  • delivery modes and costs.

Extra support ​​​for kindergartens

The department will fund dedicated Kindy uplift advisors. The advisors will work with the kindy services to plan and use the decision-making guide to inform the use of their funding, approve the plan and support them throughout the pilot.​

More inf​​ormation

For more information about the Kindy uplift pilot, contact kindyuplift@qed.qld.gov.au​.

​Participating services

As at December 2021, a total of 403 services have accepted their invitation to participate in the Kindy uplift pilot program from 2022. Additional sites may be added once services have finalised their acceptance. Download the full list of participating services​.

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 Frequently asked questions
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Funding

How are funding levels determined?

Funding levels differ between services and are calculated based on each service’s educational need, enrolment numbers and the opportunities available within the service to improve learning outcomes for children. A formula was used to determine funding, which considers the proportionate number of children from families:

  • with low English language proficiency
  • with lower parental education attainment/occupation skill level
  • who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

Is the annual funding amount the same each year?

Each eligible service is allocated a fixed amount of funding per annum. A pro rata payment (75% of the total funding) will be provided in the first year of the pilot (2022) because implementation of the Kindy uplift plan will commence from Term 2.

For the remaining two years of the pilot, services will receive the full annual funding amount (100% of the total funding) per year as implementation of the Plan will commence from Term 1.

When will services receive the funding?

Payment will be made to the service once the service’s Kindy uplift plan has been approved by the Kindy uplift advisor.

How will services receive the funding?

Payments to both branch and affiliate community kindergartens are coordinated through the applicable Central Governing Body and payments to long day care services are made once the approved plan is submitted to the Department of Education via QGrants.

What can Kindy uplift funding be used for?

Participating services can spend their funding to:

  • implement initiatives and/or purchase programs and supports to address the needs of children who attend the kindergarten (e.g. educator coaching, social and personal learning supports, language and literacy programs, art and music programs, or other educational program supports)
  • engage community partners to strengthen inclusive practice, transition pathways and community connections (e.g. cultural inclusion support, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, family support and outreach services)
  • purchase professional learning to build educator capability
  • fund backfill arrangements to support Kindy uplift activities from the approved plan.

Services will submit annual uplift plans to demonstrate how the funding is being used to improve outcomes for kindergarten children. Services can access the Kindy uplift decision-making guide which provides information to assist with their Kindy uplift plans.

Can funding be pooled across services?

Yes. Services in the pilot (under the same organisation or across multiple organisations) that have identified a common educational need or priority area may choose to collaborate and pool funding to access programs and supports. It will be up to services to collaborate, negotiate and approve these arrangements with the relevant suppliers. Services interested in pooling funds should first discuss this option with their Kindy uplift advisor.

Can funding be used to access allied health?

Services can spend their funding to engage Allied Health practitioners, such as Speech Pathologists and Social Workers, to address the educational needs of the kindy cohort by enhancing educator capability and strengthening the learning program.

Kindy uplift funding cannot be used to purchase individual, child-specific therapy and/or support, interventions and programs. Child assessment and individual referral services are also out of scope.

Can funding be used to support an individual child?

No. The funding cannot be used for individual, child-specific therapy, support, interventions and programs, child assessment and individual referral services, one-off program or resource promotions or stand-alone, unsupported resources or packages. The funding must be used to address educational need and lift the outcomes for all children within the kindergarten cohort.

Can funding be used to purchase supports in more than one priority area?

Yes. Through the Kindy Uplift planning process services will identify the priority areas that align with the educational needs of their current and future cohorts. This may include more than one priority area and services can choose to purchase programs and supports in these priority areas.

Can funding be used to backfill educators?

Yes. Services can use a portion of the funding to provide backfill arrangements for educators engaged in Kindy uplift activities but must prioritise purchasing Kindy uplift programs and supports.

Backfill allows educators to be released from regular duties or to work additional hours to enable participation in training, professional development, reflective practice or consultation.

Can funding be used to reduce fees for families?

No. Various QKFS subsidy payments are available to assist with the cost of delivering an approved kindergarten program to ensure cost is not a barrier for families.

Can we claim for QKFS if our teacher is offline for Kindy uplift activities?

If the Early Childhood Teacher (ECT) delivering the kindergarten program is released from regular duties to engage in Kindy uplift activities, services must make every effort to engage another ECT to replace them. A service will not be able to claim QKFS funding for the period when the kindergarten program is not delivered by a qualified ECT, as defined under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme: Funding Category Guidelines.

Will our service still receive KISS funding?

The Kindergarten Inclusion Support Scheme (KISS) will continue in 2022. It will be available to all community kindergarten services, including those in the Kindy uplift pilot. KISS will continue to provide additional funding to community kindergarten providers to enable children with identified or suspected disability or developmental delay to continue to participate in an approved kindergarten program.

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Last updated 21 April 2022