Australia’s largest early childhood education and care provider, Goodstart Early Learning, has decided to provide different support services including speech therapy, occupational therapy, and child and family practitioner support, to more of its centres using NDIS funding.
As part of the network's Enhancing Children's Outcomes (EChO) approach, educators are currently working alongside allied health professionals across 40 services to improve the outcomes of children with vulnerabilities.
The study supports the NDIS's Early Childhood Approach by collaborating with Early Childhood Partners in the community to:
- connect the parents with the early childhood intervention service providers so that they can avail the required services easily. make the parents aware with practical information about child development; use provider expertise to understand and identify the differences in learning and development that children might experience, and arrange and recommend extra required services as the need.
- identify if children are likely to benefit from early support;
- support the families to apply to the NDIS by providing information and evidence for their application which gives support to the financial part of the families.
- monitor children’s progress and support them to transition from the Early Childhood Approach.
Goodstart Early Learning’s National Lead for Social Inclusion Penny Markham says that educators will also be benefitted by having the access to the knowledge and to have experience in the allied health positions.
She said, “When strategies are implemented together, children make more progress, and educators enjoy their roles more,”. She continued by saying “Our educators have intent and passion to make a difference. Working directly with allied health experts helps them program and plan activities for individuals and their room, and supports them to do the best they can for the children in their care.”.
Goodstart’s ECHO Approach (enhancing children’s outcomes), is delivered in communities where children and families are more experiencing vulnerability.
Reference:
Goodstart Early Learning, ECHO Approach
Goodstart Early Learning, NDIS Funding
