Free Kinder is available to refugee and asylum seeker families - TRANSCRIPT
Dildar: My name is Dildar Begum. I came here as a refugee. I am the mother of Samaira, who attends kindergarten.
At Samaira’s kindergarten, there are children from many different cultures. There is no discrimination. All the children are treated equally, and my daughter believes, “We are all the same.”
Because she believes this, she is confident and has the courage to talk to everyone.
She has become very good at drawing. When she comes home, she keeps drawing. What is impressive is that she can now express her feelings through her drawings. Whether she is happy or sad, she draws pictures of our family and shows them to us.
When families go to kindergarten and cannot speak the language, interpreters are arranged quickly. Because we speak Rohingya, they organised a Rohingya interpreter for us over the phone. Interpreting services are available in the language you speak.
For all refugees, kindergarten for children from the age of three is free. Pre-Prep is also free. The government is also providing extra hours at kindergarten, and we have received this too. It has made things more convenient for new migrants.
Refugee families can find kindergartens by visiting findakinder.vic.gov.au, or by asking their Maternal and Child Health nurse. They can also speak to nearby schools, which can help them find a kindergarten.
In my opinion, for refugee parents, sending their children to kindergarten is an amazing program. There is nothing better than this.
Find a kindergarten near you at findakinder.vic.gov.au.
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