Reprieve for eKindy program

The success of the AEU’s Protect our Preschools campaign is good news for kindy kids across the state, not least those in remote and rural locations.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has announced an extension of the 15 hours of universal access to preschool/kindy education for four year olds for another year.

While the funding is not guaranteed beyond 2018, the decision does offer welcome respite to the state’s eKindy program.

Twenty early childhood-trained teachers, based in the schools of distance education, deliver the program to 85 kindy kids (age three to five years old) across the state who live on properties in locations that are isolated or too far from available children’s service providers.

Families who travel, live overseas or have children with medical conditions that preclude them from attending a kindergarten can also access eKindy.

Every child has up to one hour of online eKindy sessions per week, which increase in number as the year progresses. The eKindy teacher supports the parent at home and facilitators in small schools in using eKindy units that have been written from the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines, which in turn are based on the national Early Years Learning Framework (for birth to five year olds). There is ongoing collaboration between parents, teachers and facilitators, who discuss the child’s development after each session, as well as in emails and via telephone conversations.

School of the Future (Brisbane School of Distance Education) eKindy teacher and QTU member Megan Duigan has been working at eKindy for five years, and was part of the original writing team. She has an early childhood qualification and loves that she is able to provide a service that was not previously available to remote kids and their families. She enjoys hearing stories of life on cattle stations and her once-a-term visit with the kids on activity days.

Fellow eKindy teacher Teedie Glynn says that some parents in these remote locations drive around their property to get reception on their phones, then set up the laptop on a desk in the middle of the paddock, so that their child does not miss out on valuable learning.

Last year, 11 rural and remote schools took part in a pilot program which enabled kindy-aged children to attend school where there was no kindy service within 50km by the most direct road route. This year, the pilot has been extended to 38 schools, with a total of 100 children, each of them joining school-aged peers in composite classes, with the support of a teacher-aide, for 20 hours per week.

Kindy and prep teachers agree that exposure to Queensland’s quality eKindy program makes the transition to school far easier, with kids ready to follow routines and ready to learn. Parents and educators will continue to campaign for early childhood funding to be ongoing and permanent, to ensure that children around the country continue to benefit from kindy and preschool programs for 2019 and beyond.

Leah Mertens                                                                                                                   Research Officer – Professional Issues

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 122 No 5, 21 July 2017, p14