Engaging with multilingual families
Use the resources below to support families in your community to access and participate in kindergarten programs.
The guide has information about creating welcoming and inclusive environments, using different ways to communicate, promoting identity and belonging, and getting the right language supports. Use the social story during orientation – you can edit it to add photos and features of your service.
- Engaging with multilingual families (guide) (PDF, 3.81MB)
- Engaging with multilingual families (guide) (DOCX, 40.63MB)
Use the social story during orientation – you can edit it to add photos and features of your service.
These resources were developed in partnership with fka Children’s Services and complement their Engaging with multilingual families about kindergarten interactive learning eLearning modules, which are available on the fkaCS website.
Translated information for families
CALD families may experience barriers accessing early childhood education, including language barriers.
The kinder translations webpage has information in 30 languages about kindergarten in Victoria. Families can choose from written, audio or visual materials.
Use these resources any time of the year to support CALD families in your community to access and participate in kindergarten programs. The resources also include information about initiatives such as Free Kinder and the benefits of two years of kindergarten
Please share the resource Information about kindergarten in your language with your staff and families.
Translated resources for services
You can order printed translated resources from the Victorian Kindergarten Resources Portal for your service, free of charge. Resources are available in 30 languages and include brochures and posters. You can also download materials from the portal to post online or share via email.
Social media tiles are available from the portal or below:
In-language videos
Share these videos with CALD families in your community to learn more about the benefits of kinder and to help them enrol.
Benefits of kindergarten
Enrolling in kinder
Early Childhood Language Services
Interpreting
Free on-site, telephone and video interpreting services are available for Department of Education funded kindergarten services and eligible early childhood support services including:
- Local councils that receive funding from the Department of Education to deliver a (opens in a new window)Central Registration and Enrolment Scheme (CRES)(opens in a new window) and/or a program to support kindergarten and pre-prep access and participation (Including the (opens in a new window)CALD Outreach Initiative(opens in a new window))
- Safe Haven providers
- Early Childhood Intervention Services Continuity of Support (ECIS CoS) provides Early childhood intervention services for children not eligible for the NDIS.
All Graduates also provide in-bound telephone interpreting to allow parents and carers to contact a kindergarten or early childhood support service using a telephone interpreter in-language.
For more information about using (opens in a new window)All Graduates Interpreting and Translating(opens in a new window) (All Graduates) as the provider for early childhood language services please refer to Early Childhood Language Services.
Translation
All funded kindergarten services can access free translation services for written information using All Graduates.
For more information about translation services please refer to (opens in a new window)Early Childhood Language Services - Translation(opens in a new window).
CALD Outreach Initiative
The CALD Outreach Initiative supports the inclusion of children from CALD backgrounds in kindergarten and Pre-Prep through CALD Outreach Worker positions at funded local councils and a partnership with the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV).
The objectives of the Initiative are to support the participation of Victorian children and families from CALD backgrounds in kindergarten and Pre-Prep and to:
- support successful registration and enrolment of CALD children in kindergarten and Pre-Prep
- maximise CALD children’s attendance in kindergarten and Pre-Prep
- engage CALD children and their families in other early childhood supports in their local area, such as community playgroups and Maternal and Child Health (MCH)
- support CALD children to transition from kindergarten to school.
To achieve these objectives, CALD Outreach Workers provide direct support to families from CALD backgrounds as well as early childhood education and care services to address engagement barriers and support transitions to school and ongoing participation in education.
The CALD Outreach Initiative Guidelines 2025-2027 support implementation of the Initiative.
- CALD Outreach Initiative Guidelines 2025-2027 (PDF - 1.4MB)
- CALD Outreach Initiative Guidelines 2025-2027 (DOCX - 1.3MB)
From January 2025 to June 2027 there will be 26 local councils participating in the CALD Outreach Initiative:
- Alpine Shire Council
- Ararat Rural City Council
- Ballarat City Council
- Banyule City Council
- Brimbank City Council
- Casey City Council
- Darebin City Council
- Greater Bendigo City Council
- Greater Dandenong City Council
- Greater Geelong City Council
- Greater Shepparton City Council
- Hobsons Bay City Council
- Hume City Council
- Maribyrnong City Council
- Maroondah City Council
- Melbourne City Council
- Melton City Council
- Merri-bek City Council
- Mildura Rural City Council
- Mitchell Shire Council
- Moonee Valley City Council
- Moorabool Shire Council
- Whittlesea City Council
- Wyndham City Council
- Yarra City Council
- Yarra Ranges Shire Council
For more information on the CALD Outreach Initiative please contact your participating local council directly or the department at early.years.cald.programs@education.vic.gov.au.
The CALD Kindergarten Participation Project delivered by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) provides implementation support to the local councils participating in the CALD Outreach Initiative as well as proactive support to all Victorian councils to strengthen kindergarten participation for CALD children.
Further information about this program can be found on the MAV website.
Fka Children’s Services (fkaCS) – Cultural Inclusion Support
fkaCS provides advice, referral and support to kindergarten services, to identify and address barriers to the inclusion of multilingual children.
Further information can be found on the fkaCS website(opens in a new window).
fkaCS (opens in a new window)Cultural Inclusion Support Packages(opens in a new window) are also on the School Readiness Funding (SRF) Menu of evidence-informed programs and supports.
Foundation House - Early Years Program
The Early Years Program, delivered by Foundation House, supports early childhood services to work with families from refugee backgrounds. Through this program Foundation House provides resources, professional learning and consultancy, as well as place-based collaborative projects, to promote the full inclusion of families from refugee backgrounds in early childhood services.
Foundation House has also developed a series of ‘Kindergarten to School’ videos in seven community languages - Dari, Pashto, Hazaragi, Arabic, Dinka, Hakha Chin and Karen. The videos were co-designed through extensive consultation with communities.
Further information about this program, including the videos, can be found on the Foundation House website.
Early Start Kindergarten
Early Start Kindergarten (ESK) continues to be available for eligible children, providing 15 hours of kindergarten each week for two years before school.
If a child is eligible for ESK, they should be enrolled in ESK, even where Free Kinder or 15 hours per week of funded three-year-old kindergarten is offered.
Enrolling children through ESK ensures they have priority of access, and services can receive additional funding and support:
- The number of ESK enrolments factor into School Readiness Funding (SRF) for your service.
- Sessional kindergartens and long day care services will receive a full year’s funding allocation (for hours enrolled) when ESK applications are approved – this is regardless of when a child starts or leaves the service. This supports your planning around the child’s access and inclusion into the kindergarten program.
- Long day care services will receive at least $500 in extra funding for supporting an ESK enrolment.
To be eligible for ESK, children must be 3 by 30 April in the year they start kindergarten, and either:
- be from a refugee or asylum seeker background
- identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- be from a family that has had contact with child protection.
Services are encouraged to discuss eligibility for ESK with families and referrers directly, in addition to information provided through enrolment processes.
Share these audio files to help families understand the benefits of kindergarten and explain Early Start Kindergarten.
Access to Early Learning (AEL)
Vulnerable CALD children may be able to access AEL, a targeted early intervention program. AEL enables three-year-old children from families with complex needs to fully participate in quality, universal early education and care.
AEL provides an experienced and degree-qualified facilitator to work with families, educators and services to ensure vulnerable children participate in early learning at kindergarten and at home. It is available in 25 local government areas across Victoria.
Further information about AEL, including eligibility and site locations, can be found on the Access to Early Learning webpage.
Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL) – Family Learning Support Program
The Family Learning Support Program (FLSP), delivered by the Brotherhood of St Laurence provides bilingual outreach support to children and families from vulnerable CALD backgrounds living in public housing in the City of Yarra and City of Melbourne. Bicultural staff work alongside families to support service navigation and build understanding of the importance of play in children’s early learning. Participation is by referral only.
FLSP supports families to engage with early childhood services including 3- and 4-year-old kindergarten, expands capabilities of parents and carers to support children’s learning through play and opportunities to continue learning at home, and supports service navigation and facilitates connections to local programs and the broader community.
Further information about this program can be found on the Brotherhood of St Laurence website.
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