Using Flexible Funding for First Nations Incursions

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​​First Nations Incursions is not currently listed on the School Readiness Funding Menu. However, eligible kindergarten services may be able to include our programs in their School Readiness Funding plan through Flexible Funding.

 

Access is not automatic. It depends on your service’s SRF allocation, identified needs, goals and approval from your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch.

 

Is your service eligible to use Flexible Funding?

 

Services receiving more than $10,000 in School Readiness Funding over the two-year planning cycle may use up to 25% of their total allocation on suitable programs and supports not listed on the SRF Menu.

 

Services receiving under $10,000 must spend their SRF allocation on items from the School Readiness Funding Menu.

 

Before including a First Nations Incursions program in your plan, discuss the proposal with your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch or Kindergarten Improvement Advisor.

 

How can our programs align with SRF?

 

Flexible Funding must:

• address an identified need of the children attending your service

• address educational disadvantage

• align with an SRF priority area or an identified local priority

• support improved educational and developmental outcomes

• contribute to building the capability of educators or families

 

Our programs may align particularly strongly with the SRF priority area:

 

Access, Inclusion and Participation

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This priority area includes identifying, learning about and engaging with communities through

culturally safe practices to enhance cultural and social inclusion.

 

Depending on the needs identified by your service, our programs may support:

 

• culturally safe and inclusive practice

• educator confidence in embedding First Nations perspectives

• children’s connection, participation and sense of belonging

• meaningful engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures

• communication through storytelling, music, movement and symbols

• stronger relationships with children, families and the wider community

 

A First Nations cultural program is not automatically eligible for SRF. Your service must show how the proposed program responds to its identified needs and contributes to its SRF goals.

 

Programs suited to a two-year SRF plan

 

Programs combining educator professional learning with ongoing experiences for children are likely to provide the clearest connection to SRF’s capability-building objectives.

 

Options include:

 

• the Early Years Package

• Kulin Seasons

• Term-by-Term cultural learning

• cultural professional learning for educators

• professional learning combined with children’s sessions

• tailored programs delivered across the two-year SRF cycle

 

We can prepare an indicative program proposal, timeline and cost breakdown for your service.

 

Suggested planning process

 

1. Review your service data and priorities

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Identify the needs of the children, families, educators and community connected with your service.

 

Relevant information might include:

 

• educator professional learning needs

• your Quality Improvement Plan

• child observations

• family and community feedback

• enrolment and attendance information

• the cultural backgrounds and needs represented in your community

• areas in which educators want to strengthen culturally safe practice

 

 

2. Select an appropriate SRF goal

 

Our programs may support the Access, Inclusion and Participation goal:

 

“The service will identify, learn and engage with communities through culturally safe practices, to enhance cultural and social inclusion.”

 

Other goals may also be relevant where supported by your service’s data and identified needs.

 

 

3. Choose a program and intended outcomes

 

Consider whether a one-year or two-year program would best support your goals.

 

Your plan should describe:

 

• the program or package

• the children, educators or families it will support

• when the activities will take place

• the total cost

• the intended outcome

• how success will be measured

 

 

4. Discuss the proposal with your Early Childhood Improvement Branch

 

Services wishing to use Flexible Funding must discuss the proposed item with their local Early Childhood Improvement Branch and seek approval early in the planning process.

 

Your Kindergarten Improvement Advisor can advise whether the proposed program is suitable for inclusion in your SRF plan.

 

5. Include the approved item in your SRF plan

 

Once approval has been confirmed, enter the program as a Flexible Funding item in your two-year SRF plan in the Kindergarten Information Management System.

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Adaptable wording for your SRF plan

 

The following is a starting point only. It must be adapted to reflect your service’s own data, identified needs and intended outcomes.

 

“Our service has identified a need to strengthen culturally safe and inclusive practice and build educator confidence in meaningfully embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives throughout the program.

 

We propose engaging First Nations Incursions to deliver a combination of educator professional learning and ongoing First Nations-led cultural learning experiences for children.

 

The program will support our Access, Inclusion and Participation goal by building educator capability, strengthening culturally responsive practice and creating meaningful opportunities for children to develop connection, participation and a sense of belonging.

 

We will evaluate the program through educator reflections, observations of practice, program documentation, child observations and feedback from families.”

 

EYLF and VEYLDF alignment

 

Our programs are aligned with the EYLF V2.0 and VEYLDF. Program-specific alignment information can be included as supporting material when planning intended outcomes and measures of success.

 

View our EYLF and VEYLDF program alignments

 

Need help planning?

 

First Nations Incursions can provide:

 

• an indicative one-year or two-year program proposal

• program descriptions

• a delivery timeline

• an itemised quotation

• EYLF and VEYLDF alignment information

• suggested outcomes and measures of success for your service to consider

 

 

Final SRF eligibility and approval remain the responsibility of the service and the Victorian Department of Education.

• Victorian Government School Readiness Funding guidance

 

For official advice, contact your local Early Childhood Improvement Branch.

• Find your Early Childhood Improvement Branch