The Queensland Government is increasing its investment in early childhood education, inviting all approved kindergarten providers to participate in Kindy uplift.
Kindy uplift funding will be used to respond to children's learning and development needs through evidence-based initiatives that lift outcomes for kindergarten children.
Kindy uplift can be used to fund programs, resources, supports and professional development to build educator capability and support inclusion in all approved kindergarten programs, including sessional and long day care kindergarten services.
Kindy uplift priority areas
Kindy uplift funding will be used to strengthen children's access to, and meaningful participation in, the full range of kindergarten experiences.
Kindy uplift focuses on 6 priority areas:
- Culturally safe, inclusive and responsive kindergarten programs
- Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives
- Equity and Access for all
- Social and emotional learning
- Physicality
- Executive function
- Oral language and Literacy
- Mathematics and numeracy
Services will engage with their Kindy uplift plan online to demonstrate how funding is used to improve outcomes for kindergarten children.
Kindy uplift planning
The Kindy uplift planning process provides opportunities for services to engage in data informed conversations in order to provide the best opportunities to lift learning and development outcomes for children. Services will engage with their Kindy uplift plan through an online survey link provided by the department.
Hear from teachers, educators and advisors about engaging in data informed conversations during the Kindy uplift planning process.
Creating culturally safe, inclusive and responsive Kindergarten Programs through Kindy uplift
Kindy uplift contributes to the department's commitment to
Closing the Gap. The first Kindy uplift priority, 'creating culturally safe, inclusive and responsive kindergarten programs', focuses on the inclusion of all First Nations children and strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. Kindy uplift supports kindergartens to create culturally safe, inclusive and responsive kindergarten programs.
Hear from professionals and cultural advisors about cultural representation, fostering connections and creating culturally safe, inclusive and responsive kindergarten programs.
In the
embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives by choosing authentic cultural resources video, cultural advisors emphasise that it's about more than just displaying cultural artifacts; it's about knowing their stories and significance, and fostering understanding and respect for First Nations’ culture. It’s important to acknowledge that resources purchased with Kindy uplift funding should build on the professional learning undertaken by teachers and educators to support and enhance the learning experiences of the kindergarten children.
Suppliers
Kindergarten services who are eligible for Kindy uplift may be contacted by suppliers of professional learning and practice supports. It is important to note that the department does not have an approved or preferred list of suppliers, nor does it endorse any providers of professional learning and practice supports.
It is the role of participating kindergarten services and their advisory support organisations to work together to evaluate the appropriateness of a supplier of professional learning and practice supports for the service and their community context.
Eligible kindergarten services are responsible for their own due diligence and for managing associated risks. Insurances, blue cards and suitably qualified staff are key aspects to check before engaging a supplier. Caution should be applied to any materials that market a supplier as a Department of Education Kindy uplift 'approved supplier'.
Advisory support for kindergartens
The department is funding advisory support for services participating in Kindy uplift.
In 2024, the role of advisory support organisations is expanding to include a focus on 3 core department priorities:
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Equity and Excellence initiatives: Embedding First Nations' perspectives, ensuring services are inclusion ready, culturally capable and responsive.
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Workforce initiatives: Mentoring to support qualification progression and leadership capabilities for education leaders, including referrals to existing departmental qualification pathways initiatives.
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Practice improvement initiatives: Providing support during Kindy uplift planning and monitoring; teacher, educator and service capability building through professional learning; facilitating engagement and communication strategies including communities of practice; embedding evidence-based programs; utilising inclusion subsidies and specialist sector support services; implementing and monitoring for impact utilising the kindergarten learning progressions.
Contact
For more information about Kindy uplift, contact
kindyuplift@qed.qld.gov.au.