Kindergarten services across Victoria will soon receive their 2027–2028 School Readiness Funding (SRF) allocations and can begin planning how to use the funding.
For the first time, services will complete SRF planning and management in Arrival. This replaces the previous KIMS platform.
There are no significant changes to policy or planning requirements. However, the transition to a new system is a significant change for many services. You might need time to become familiar with the new processes and functionality.
Support available
To help services with the transition, Arrival information, guidance materials and planning resources will be available on the SRF webpage. These will include step-by-step information about how to develop, submit and manage an SRF plan.
We also encourage you to work with your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch. They can provide advice and support throughout the planning process.
When developing your plan, you should:
- undertake planning with your service community
- use the offline planning template (when available) before entering your plan into Arrival
- allow time to become familiar with Arrival
- consider your plan carefully before submitting it. Changes to approved plans require further approval in Arrival.
SRF planning is not limited to the formal planning period. Across the 2-year planning cycle, services should:
- continue to reflect on their priorities
- analyse service data
- consider local needs to ensure funding decisions continue to support improved outcomes for children.
Submitting your plan
You must submit your SRF plan to the department within 4 weeks of acknowledging the terms and conditions in Arrival.
SRF Menu reform
The department is introducing a new process to assess existing menu items and new applications to ensure items are high quality, accessible and available.
This process includes:
- expanded assessment criteria
- greater emphasis on evidence.
We are adding 12 new items to the menu for the 2027–2028 planning cycle. Of these, 10 are new and 2 have been on the SRF Menu previously. The new items are listed in the table below. These will be added to the SRF Menu website and Arrival over the coming weeks.
We will share more information about the new SRF Menu application process in 2027.
New SRF Menu items available for the 2027–2028 cycle
| Menu name | Provider name | Description |
| Co-regulation for caregivers and educators | Kid Link Occupational Therapy Pty Ltd | A professional learning workshop for educators and caregivers. It builds capacity to support children’s regulation, wellbeing, participation and social-emotional development through co-regulation. |
| Creating Emotionally Safe Kindergartens: Trauma-Informed Strategies for Behaviour Support | MOAT: Mental Health Services | A trauma-informed professional learning program. The program helps educators understand behaviour, strengthen relational practice, and support children’s wellbeing, regulation and participation. |
| Developing Executive Functions in the early years: SOWATT can you do? | SOWATT learning | Training for educators in the SOWATT (Self-Regulation, Organisation, Working Memory, Attention, Thinking Flexibly, and Thinking About Thinking) approach. This approach helps educators intentionally build children’s executive function skills through everyday routines, play, interactions and learning experiences. |
| Developing Speech Sounds: Foundations for Clear Speech and Literacy Readiness | Pelican Talk | Training for educators on speech sound development and phonological awareness. This will help educators to use strategies and activities that are tailored to each child’s level of need. |
| Early Childhood Literacy Coaching | SailAway Readers | A literacy-focused professional development and coaching service for educators. |
| Inclusive Practice in Early Childhood: Regulation and Participation | Monkey Minds Pty Ltd | A capacity-building professional learning program for educators to strengthen inclusive practice through a practical, respectful and play-based early childhood lens. |
| Early Childhood Mathematics Professional Learning | The Mathematical Association of Victoria | A professional learning and coaching program that strengthens educators’ capability to embed mathematics and numeracy learning within play-based early childhood programs. |
| Outdoor Learning Environments: Building Communication and Connection | Nature Talking | Training and coaching for early childhood educators to support children’s communication, emergent literacy and participation within in-nature learning environments. |
| Relate, Regulate, Reason | Life Ready Learning | A training program for educators to develop competency in emotional regulation as the foundational skill for executive function in children. |
| Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program for Early Childhood | Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation | A training program to equip educators to deliver play-based, hands-on kitchen and garden learning experiences for children aged 2 to 6. |
Find out more
For more information about School Readiness Funding, refer to the SRF webpage. The webpage will be updated when School Readiness Funding allocations are released.
Updated