Dear early childhood education professionals
As Term 1 comes to an end, I want to thank all of you for helping children and their families and carers settle into new routines. The start of every year brings excitement, nerves and many, many questions and educators and teachers work extra hard to help children feel settled and ready to learn. Thank you.
The early childhood education and care sector is also working hard to adapt to the new child safety laws that were introduced this year. Thank you for all you continue to do to improve children’s outcomes and make lasting safety changes for Victorian children and their families.
With 2027 kindergarten enrolments kicking off soon for many services, enrolments will also soon open for Foundation (Prep) for the 2027 school year. This is an important step for families so we’re encouraging you to share resources to help them understand enrolment processes and key deadlines. Across the system it is wonderful to see children growing in confidence when they are so well supported ahead of these big transitions.
Starting this month and continuing throughout May and June, the department will host Pre-Prep and Koorie community events in new locations where Pre-Prep is launching in 2027. These events are a great opportunity to help families learn more about kindergarten programs and enrolment options. Services in participating local government areas are encouraged to share these events through their communication channels.
Looking ahead, the updated Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) will be released in Term 2. There will be resources and tools available to support implementation across 2026 and 2027. We’ll have more to share on these in the coming weeks.
In this edition, you can read about changes to the Early Childhood Jobs website. To reduce duplication, improve navigation and keep information current, the website will close from May. Updated information for job seekers and employers will only be available on the department’s website.
We also share a range of professional development opportunities in this edition. They include forums for educators working with children in out-of-home care and the Effective Mentoring Program.
With the Easter long weekend approaching, I hope you’re able to take a well-deserved break and enjoy some quality time with your loved ones.
Bronwen FitzGerald
Deputy Secretary
Early Childhood Education
Updated