Tag: School Readiness Funding

It has been an exciting time over the last week as we have seen so many of last year’s kinder children slip into school uniforms and head into primary school for the first time. First day photos have taken over social media, and smiles and tears have been shared from children and parents alike! In the meantime, a new cohort of pre-schoolers have started, set to gain the skills they need for school readiness when their time comes!

Starting primary school is a special moment in a child’s life (and a parent’s), but the most important factor before commencing is ensuring a child is truly ready for school. That’s one of the most important aspects of early childhood educators’ roles – giving children the experiences and skills that will prepare them for school, and life.

Building and establishing school readiness in children

When considering school readiness and how to build it and establish it in children, educators and parents should focus on teaching children life skills that will prepare them for handling all that the world has in store. These skills will be physical, intellectual and emotional. Think practical abilities that boost children’s independence in various areas of their lives, and give them a sense of responsibility.

Let’s look at some areas to consider when establishing and assessing children’s school readiness:

1. Collaboration and teamwork
2. Creativity and imagination
3. Critical thinking and problem solving
4. Social and emotional skills
5. Empathy, positive thinking, resilience and self-regulation
6. Oral and written communication skills
7. Leadership

If you’re looking for additional resources to guide you in assessing a child’s school readiness, this fact sheet from Kathy Walker of Early Life Foundations
is really valuable.

Government funding to help educators enhance school readiness

The government has recognised the importance of early childhood education and our role in shaping the future generations – the School Readiness Funding offers registered kindergarten programs funding to access some of the best, proven programs available in the industry. And Bonkers Beat Music Program is included in the School Readiness Funding Menu!

It’s an excellent time to join Bonkers Beat too, with our whole-team professional development days – Wellness Summits – coming up soon! Take advantage of your School Readiness funding and join the Bonkers Beat programs.

See what parents have to say about our programs and school readiness:

Thank you for developing Olive’s confidence. You’ve made a difference from the way you start the day with positive affirmations to your amazing end of year concerts, we’re grateful for the above and beyond effort that gave Olive the opportunity to perform so confidently on stage.

Please know that we value the work you do. You’re making a positive impact in the lives of our little people and that’s making the world a better place! Thank you for all the amazing memories and it won’t feel like Christmas without hearing your ‘Ring the Bells’ song. — Kirsty, Mike and Olive Back., Seaford

As the end of the year fast approaches, it is almost time to say goodbye to 2018 and goodbye to many children at our centres who will be heading off to primary school next year. Preparing children for this huge transition and ensuring their school readiness is the best it can be is such a crucial part of our role in early childhood education. With an innovative strategy in place, we can keep enhancing children’s school readiness right through to the end of their early childhood education experience in everything we do!

Boost school readiness through end of year concerts

While the year is almost over, our efforts toward school readiness don’t have to be! In fact, the end of year concerts for your children can be a powerful platform to give children a self-esteem boost and sense of support that will add to their confidence in moving on to school.

Now is the time to plan. Your end of year concert presents an opportunity to add to your efforts in shaping school ready children.

Why? Music concerts can be an amazing exercise in building confidence and self-esteem in children, allowing children to express themselves through music and movement, bringing community and families together and of course celebrate children’s achievements and letting them know how wonderful they are!

Of course, musical concerts and performance are important for children of all ages, and the sooner you harness the power of music for the children in your centre, the better! We even believe that these benefits can be utilised throughout the entire year – by embedding music into daily routines, and singing songs throughout the year, children can enjoy that confidence, self-esteem, sense of belonging and self-expression every day! Not to mention, the preparation for a concert becomes fun and stress-free.

Focusing on school readiness with School Readiness Funding

Now is also the time to look at how you will get the most out of your School Readiness Funding. The Bonkers Beat programs are featured as an evidence-informed option for your centre to give children the skills they need for a smooth, empowered and confident transition to primary school, along with a range of other programs focused on school readiness.

What all the programs on the School Readiness funding menu have in common, including Bonkers Beat programs, is that they address these three priority areas:

• communication (language development)
• wellbeing (social and emotional)
• access and inclusion.

End of year concerts with a purpose

To add to your end of year concert, optimise engagement and give children the maximum enjoyment out of the experience along with the benefits. Involve children in the planning process, talk about themes that are meaningful to them – did everyone have a favourite event or story that can be at the heart of the concert? Will you focus on Christmas or make the event more about a summary of your year? Can you incorporate many cultures into the event to ensure it’s representative of your centre’s families?

Let us know how you are seeing out the year at your centre and share ideas with us on Facebook or through email – we’d love to feature what you’re doing and inspire one another!

School readiness is such a vital element of early childhood education. It is within kindergarten settings that we lay the foundation to build a lifelong love of learning for children. This is why we are so excited and honoured that Bonkers Beat Music Program has been selected for the School Readiness Funding Menu!

What is School Readiness Funding?

The School Readiness Funding is a Department of Education and Training initiative in Victoria, giving all services with a funded kindergarten program across the state the opportunity to access funding for programs proven to enhance school readiness.

And Bonkers Beat Music Program has been chosen to feature in the menu!

According to the SRF website, the menu includes evidence-informed programs and supports that address the three priority areas for school readiness funding:

• communication (language development)
• wellbeing (social and emotional)
• access and inclusion.

To find out when your kindergarten’s school readiness funding kicks in, take a look here.

Bonkers Beat recognised for developing school readiness

To be recognised for the amazing positive impact Bonkers Beat programs have on children as they make their way toward primary school is an honour — especially to be selected alongside a number of other reputable and inspiring organisations such as Kidsmatter, Yarn Strong Sista and so many more.

You can view the whole School Readiness funding menu here.

If you’re a Victorian kindergarten, this funding creates an exciting opportunity for you to invest in the quality of the early childhood education you offer, enhancing the outcomes for children, families, communities and your centre. In fact, no matter where you’re based, the very existence of this funding is a timely reminder of how essential school readiness is for the children in our care.

Explore the Bonkers Beat programs and discover for yourself just how effective they are in helping you give children the very best start in life: EarlyChildhoodEducationalPrograms.com.au

Spending your funding

The School Readiness funding menu is where all services in Victoria with funded kindergarten programs will spend most of their funding. This menu enables services to ensure they are accessing programs that have been validated for their effectiveness in supporting children’s development across those three vital areas of communication, wellbeing and inclusion.

When considering how to spend your School Readiness funding, assess what your service’s particular needs are and what will be the best fit for you.

It’s worth noting that the menu is available to all services, not just those receiving the funding. So, when you’re looking for programs and support to bolster your childcare service, this program menu is a useful tool to know that your choice is evidence-informed and supported by the department.

To discover more about the Bonkers Beat Programs, visit EarlyChildhoodEducationalPrograms.com.au