Overview
- Who can apply:
- Businesses, not-for-profit groups
- Status:
- Closed
- Funding:
- $2,872
The department offers grants to approved providers to support provisionally registered early childhood teachers (PRTs) to move to full registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT).
Moving from provisional to full registration is an important step in a teacher’s career and demonstrates their proficiency against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Approved providers of early childhood services in Victoria can apply for funding of $2,872 (excluding GST) per eligible PRT.
The PRT Grants Program Portal allows applicants to review and withdraw applications at any time. Soon, it will also provide grant recipients with the opportunity to request funding reallocations.
Key dates
Applications for the 2023-24 PRT Grants Program are now closed. All applicants have been notified of the outcome of their applications.
2023-24 PRT Grants Program applicants can view the status of their applications by logging in to the PRT Grants Program Application Portal(opens in a new window).
Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their grant applications in June/July 2024 and payments will be issued to successful applicants in August 2024.
2024-25 PRT Grants Program - Round 1
Applications open
10 am (AEST), Monday 2 September 2024
Applications closed
5 pm (AEST), Friday 20 September 2024
Assessment of applications
October 2024
Applicants advised of the outcome of their grant applications
November 2024
Payments made to successful applicants
December 2024
Check-ins conducted with grant recipients and PRTs supported through Round 1 of the 2024-25 PRT Grants Program
February 2025
Acquittal process begins
November 2025
Guidelines
The PRT Grants Program provides funding to approved providers delivering state-funded kindergarten so they can support the PRTs they employ to move to full registration within 12 months of receiving a PRT grant.
The transition period from studying early childhood education to securing a role and becoming proficient on the job is a critical time for teachers to consolidate their professional identity and practice. It can be a challenging period and involves significant dedication from new graduates and those who support them. By assisting employers to support PRTs through this period, the PRT Grants Program aims to reduce attrition and enhance the professional development opportunities offered to early career early childhood teachers.
Eligibility of the Applicant
- The application must be submitted by an approved provider of an early childhood service, or an authorised representative of an approved provider (in this section, referred to as the Applicant)
- The PRT the Applicant seeks funding to support must be employed at an early childhood service operated by the approved provider and delivering a state-funded kindergarten program in Victoria. The early childhood service must be listed as ‘Funded’ in the Kindergarten Information Management System (KIMS)
- The Applicant must intend to support the PRT(s) to move to full registration within 12 months of receiving a PRT grant
- The Applicant must agree to abide by the PRT Grants Program Terms and Conditions (DOCX - 82KB) . This includes the requirement to provide the PRT with the Privacy Statement (Attachment A in the program guidelines) prior to the submission of an application.
- If applicable, the Applicant must have complied with the applicable terms and conditions if the Applicant received funding through a previous round of the program
Eligibility of the PRT an Applicant seeks funding to support
- The PRT can be working in a teaching role:
- in a funded room
- in an unfunded room in a funded early childhood service; or
- as a casual relief teacher
- The PRT must be employed by the Applicant at an early childhood service delivering a state-funded kindergarten program in Victoria. The early childhood service must be listed as ‘Funded’ in KIMS
- The PRT is ineligible if funding issued through previous rounds of the PRT Grants Program was fully expended to support them.
Funding is subject to department approval of the application. Submitting an application does not guarantee funding will be awarded.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application via email at the conclusion of the application assessment period.
Successful applicants (hereafter referred to as grant recipients) will be issued funding through their existing service agreements with the department. Grant recipients can track this payment through the Funded Agency Channel: http://fac.dhhs.vic.gov.au/
In addition to the 2024-25 PRT Grants Program Terms and Conditions, grant recipients will be required to act in accordance with the terms and conditions of their existing service agreement with the department.
Prioritisation criteria
Should the number of eligible applications exceed the number of grants available in a particular grant round, priority will be given as follows:
- First priority: Applications for funding to support PRTs leading the delivery of funded kindergarten programs in early childhood services in local government areas (LGAs) classified as “Rural”, “Regional” or “Melbourne – Peri Urban” (refer to Attachment B in the program guidelines for a breakdown of LGAs by location type)
- Second priority: Applications for funding to support PRTs leading the delivery of a funded kindergarten program.
- Third priority: Applications for funding to support the PRTs that have been provisionally registered with the VIT for the longest period.
Use of the grant funding
Grant recipients are required to expend their grant funding in line with the program guidelines.
Grant funding can be used in any way that will support the PRT to move to full teacher registration with the VIT within 12 months of the grant being issued.
Grant recipients are expected to consult and develop a plan with their PRT upon receipt of the funding, however, the ultimate responsibility for the expenditure and acquittal of the funding lies with the grant recipient.
Examples of how the funding may be used includes:
- provision of paid time release, travel, accommodation expenses and/or employment of a casual relief teacher to backfill the PRT and/or their mentor while they work together to meet the requirements for full teacher registration
- costs associated with engaging in professional learning that will to support the PRT to move to full teacher registration.
No funding can be used on activities that involve delivering services to children.
Grant management
As stated in the 2024-25 PRT Grants Program Terms and Conditions, the grant recipient must promptly notify the department of all service/employment changes that will affect the use of the funding.
Should a grant recipient wish to reallocate funding to support a different PRT in their employ, the department will review the request, confirm the eligibility of the PRT and, if the funding reallocation is approved, update the program records accordingly.
When a PRT grant is issued to an approved provider, the department will notify the supported PRT about the funding issued to their employer. The department will also notify a representative of the early childhood service at which the PRT is employed.
The department will conduct a check-in with grant recipients and supported PRTs within 6 months of the funding being issued. This will assist with the identification of barriers faced by PRTs and their employers, allow for the distribution of useful resources and improve the department’s ability to monitor the effectiveness of the PRT Grants Program.
Grant acquittal and reporting requirements
Funding issued to approved providers through the PRT Grants Program must be spent in accordance with the 2024-25 PRT Grants Program Terms and Conditions in the 12 months following the issuing of the grant.
As a condition of accepting a grant, grant recipients must complete an acquittal form 12 months after receiving a PRT grant. The acquittal form must be completed within 30 days of distribution to grant recipients. Failure to complete the acquittal form within this time period may, at the discretion of the department, make an approved provider ineligible to receive funding in future PRT grant rounds.
To acquit PRT Grants Program funding, grant recipients must confirm that funding was expended in accordance with the 2024-25 PRT Grants Program Terms and Conditions. If the funding has not been fully spent, further information will be sought from the grant recipient. Any further request for information, record, or report must be received by the department within thirty (30) days of the grant recipient receiving the request
Where permitted by the department, grant recipients that are approved to continue to support PRTs using funding remaining after the initial 12-month period will be required to complete the acquittal form every 3-6 months until the funding is acquitted (i.e., the grant recipient confirms the funding has been expended in accordance with the 2024-25 PRT Grants Program Terms and Conditions.
Recoup policy
Grant recipients are expected to make every effort to spend the funding within the 12-month funding period to support PRTs to move to full registration, however, the department acknowledges that there may be extenuating circumstances where this is not possible.
The department will recoup all or part of the funding within sixty (60) days using KIMS if:
- $501 or more of each grant of $2,872 (excluding GST) issued to the approved provider remains unspent following the 12-month funding period, or
- the funding is not being used per the 2024-25 and PRT Grants Program Guidelines.
Promotion
Grant recipients may be promoted and featured in relevant Victorian Government communications. As a condition of accepting a grant, the grant recipient must agree to provide a reasonable amount of additional information to support ongoing promotions and communications if requested by the department. Grant recipients may also be required to facilitate visits from government representatives and media.
Information privacy
The administration of the PRT Grants Program will be undertaken by a third-party supplier with oversight from the department. The third-party supplier will require access to program data, including the personal information of applicants and grant recipients. The application form will contain a prominent privacy collection notice to ensure that applicants are aware of the collection, use and disclosure of their information to both the supplier and the department. The department will also ensure that the supplier meets IT security requirements.
The department is collecting information for the primary purpose of processing and assessing applications for the PRT Grants Program. Information collected will be dealt with in accordance with the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic) and the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). Information will be securely stored and only accessible by those department staff involved in the grants process. Applicants can access and amend the information provided upon request. For more information about privacy obligations, please see the department’s Privacy Policy.
The 2024-25 PRT Grants Program will be conducted in accordance with the 2024-25 PRT Grants Program Guidelines (DOCX - 6.5MB) and the 2024-25 PRT Grants Program Terms and Conditions (DOCX - 82KB) .
If you have any questions about the PRT Grants Program, please contact prt.grants.program@education.vic.gov.au.
If you need assistance finding a mentor, visit How to find an early childhood mentor.
Visit Training and support for early childhood professionals to learn about other supports available.
For more information about the inquiry process and how to apply for full registration, visit the VIT’s moving to full registration information hub.
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