The Innovation Grants Program allows eligible early childhood services to seek funding to introduce new and innovative approaches to support the retention of early career Early Childhood Teachers (ECTs) and educators in the first 5 years of their careers.
The program provides grants to early childhood services to introduce projects that:
- support the retention of early childhood teachers and educators in the first 5 years of their careers
- increase the capacity of the early childhood sector to support the retention of the workforce
- strengthen sector engagement and partnerships.
Successful applicants must develop and implement the proposed initiatives within 12 months of receiving the grant funding.
Key Dates
The next grant round will occur in Term 3, 2024. More information will be provided on this webpage in mid-2024.
2021 Innovation Grants Program case studies
Northern Schools Early Years Cluster Inc. (NSEYC)
The Northern Schools Early Years Cluster Inc. (NSEYC) received $30,000 through the 2021 Innovation Grants Program to introduce a Peer to Peer (P2P) Learning Program.
As part of the program, early career ECTs were given the opportunity to visit other NSEYC services and learn from their peers. Participants were encouraged to share their ideas, skills and knowledge. They were supported to undertake structured critical reflection to evaluate and develop their leadership abilities.
The P2P Learning Program motivated participants to learn and grow. Survey responses showed early career ECTs were inspired to trial new ideas and strategies in their own workplaces. Some participants have even gained educational leadership positions in NSEYC’s services. These positions came after building their leadership skills in the P2P Learning Program.
For NSEYC, the benefits of the program were immense. The P2P Learning Program encouraged staff to strengthen their programs and promoted a culture of continuous learning across the organisation. It also supported the retention of early career ECTs.
City of Ballarat
The City of Ballarat received $25,000 through the 2021 Innovation Grants Program and partnered with Federation University to develop a 12-month induction and professional network program.
The program had 4 facilitated sessions. Early career ECTs from the City of Ballarat and neighbouring areas gathered to learn about local services providing support for these areas:
- Supporting Children with Diverse Needs
- Child Safety and Wellbeing
- Supporting a Positive Transition to School
- Children’s Health and Development
Experienced ECTs and guest speakers from the local community services provided real life examples of how they have worked together to support children and families. They also explained how best to seek assistance when needed.
Participants appreciated these opportunities to come together, learn from each other and discuss how to access the supports available in the Ballarat community.
As one participant wrote in an evaluation survey, “the workshops clarified the connection between early childhood centres and local available services for teachers, families and children.”
Importantly, all participants in the program also indicated that they were either likely or very likely to continue working in the early childhood sector for the next 5 years.
More information
For more information about retention-focused initiatives offered by the department, visit the Supports for early career early childhood teachers webpage.
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