The Allan Labor Government is dedicated to enabling more children from diverse backgrounds to access kindergarten, ensuring a brighter future for Victorian families.
The Allan Labor Government is committed to providing all children, especially those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, with essential access to kindergarten education, ultimately giving them a head start in life. Today, Minister for Children, Lizzie Blandthorn, alongside Member for Melton, Steve McGhie, declared that Melton will benefit from a significant investment of $321,919 as part of the $7.47 million allocation to CALD Outreach Initiative grants for 25 councils across Victoria.
This initiative's aim is to help children from multicultural families enroll in and attend kindergarten, enhancing their early educational experience. CALD teams, who are employed by local councils, work closely with families to facilitate kindergarten enrollment, conduct informative sessions to demystify the kindergarten process, and assist families and educators in maximizing attendance. They also help ease the transition from kindergarten to primary school.
Since its inception in 2021, CALD outreach teams have successfully assisted more than 6,000 children from diverse cultural backgrounds in enrolling and attending kindergarten across eight local councils. With the program expansions, four councils—Alpine Shire Council, Ararat Rural City Council, City of Ballarat, and Mitchell Shire Council—will join this initiative for the first time, increasing the program's reach and impact.
The expansion ensures that even more children from multicultural backgrounds in various communities will experience the benefits of the Labor Government's $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reforms. These groundbreaking reforms are aimed at revolutionizing early childhood education to ensure children flourish, alleviate financial burdens for families, and empower parents or carers to resume work or education as they see fit.
In the 2024-25 Victorian Budget, a commitment of $9.4 million will be invested over three years to enhance the participation of CALD children in early childhood education. Additional resources allocated to the Municipal Association of Victoria will bolster council-led outreach initiatives and facilitate the sharing of key insights and experiences amongst councils statewide.
Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn remarked, “Every parent aspires to provide their child with the finest start in life. We’re reinforcing our support for families from multicultural backgrounds, allowing more Victorian kids to access Free Kinder while giving parents the choice to return to work at their convenience.”
She emphasized, “The expansion of the CALD Outreach Initiative to a historic 25 councils in Victoria guarantees that even more children benefit, receiving the excellent start they deserve.”
Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Ingrid Stitt, stated, “Young children have limitless potential to learn from the opportunities that kindergarten offers. We’re dedicated to ensuring that every child, irrespective of their background, enjoys the best possible start in life.”
Steve McGhie, Member for Melton, concluded, “We recognize that kindergarten is crucial for setting children on a path of lifelong learning, and in Melton, we are committed to ensuring that no family is excluded from this vital stage.”
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