early years position paper - bsl...

Position Paper FEBRUARY 2017

Members of the Early Years Transition Leadership Team involved in the development of this Position Paper

Marian Pettit, National Manager HIPPY (Chair)

Dr. Tricia Szirom, General Manager, Children, Youth and Families

Rob Hudson, Group General Manager, Programs and Policy

Dr. Shelley Mallet, General Manager, Research and Policy Centre

Josh Badenoch, Youth and Family Services Team Leader

Elise Willersdorf, Senior Manager, Programs and Performance, HIPPY Australia

Melinda Moore, Senior Advisor, Planning and Projects, HIPPY Australia

Suzie Mansell, Senior Manager, Craigieburn and Hume

Carol I’Anson, Senior Manager, Connie Benn Community Team

Emma Antonetti, Manager Community Impact, Mernda Growth Corridor Project

Nicole Rees, Senior Manager, Policy

Dr. Eric Dommers, Senior Manager, Inclusive Education, Research and Policy Centre

© Brotherhood of St Laurence

For more information please contact Tricia Szirom, General Manager, Child, Youth and Families, at [email protected]

II The Early Years I Position Paper

Message from the Executive Director

We now know that the most powerful impact we can have on the direction of a person’s life happens in the early years. Investments of time and money in the first years of life have been shown to be far more cost effective than investments made at any other time.

Gaps in capabilities between children from socio-economically disadvantaged families and their more advantaged peers appear early in a child’s life and these gaps often escalate to poorer outcomes later in life.

The Brotherhood has a long history of working with children and their families and currently runs a wide range of early intervention activities. Most of these programs work with children and parents together building parent’s capacity and confidence to be their child’s first teacher; our HIPPY program is now doing this in 100 communities around Australia.

Other early years’ programs are designed around enhancing parent’s capacity through the medium of play which is associated with the development of language, literacy, sociability and mathematical ability.

In all of our work we build on a strong evidence base provided by specialists in our Research and Policy Centre, staff on the ground who interact with children and parents every day and family members who are clear about their aspirations for their children.

Based on evidence from research, and the experience of our staff in a range of early years’ programs, we have developed programs that work specifically with parents, programs that bring parents and children together and programs that engage the local community in building a supportive environment for children and families to thrive in.

This position paper outlines our approach to work in the early years, it describes current programs along with new initiatives which we believe will further our capacity to work collaboratively to effectively move children out of poverty.

Tony Nicholson

Executive Director Brotherhood of St Laurence

III

IV The Early Years I Position Paper

Introduction 4

Key messages 5

Background 6

Levels of social exclusion 6

Challenges for service provision 7

Pathways for success 9

Risk factors for social exclusion 10

Narrowing the gap 12

Current Brotherhood approach 14

Continuum of interventions 16

Early Years suite of programs 17

Parenting education and support 17

Supporting parents as their child’s first teacher 18

HIPPY (Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters) 19

Early childhood early intervention (ECEI) 20

Research and evaluation 22

Innovation and integration 23

Growing Learners 23

2Generation approach 25

Engaging communities 27

An integrated approach 29

Future directions 31

References 32

Contents

V

The Brotherhood of St Laurence is committed to addressing poverty in Australia and to finding the most effective points at which to provide support. Increasing evidence from all parts of the world, along with our own experience, shows that the earlier an intervention is made in a child’s life, the greater the long-term impact will be on the individual, family and community.

The overall mission of the Brotherhood is to deliver services, develop policy and support social change through empowerment, capacity building and initiatives which support individuals and communities. For this reason we are committed to ensuring that all children have a fair start in life.

Historically we have given particular attention in our early years work to early intervention, creating solutions through community engagement, empowering families and supporting children. Our current programs reflect this focus and our more recent developments build on this, reinforced by the most recent evidence from research and practice. Our work with children in the early years is focused on the 0–6 years cohort although this may differ depending on the intervention.

Section two of this document sets out the context for our Early Years program, and describes the pathways to success and risk factors for social exclusion. Section three describes our current Early Years programs and their rationale. Section four outlines our integrated approach of working with both children and families that is being piloted at the Jindi Child and Family Centre and Hothlyn Drive in Melbourne’s outer growth corridors and at the Connie Benn Centre in Fitzroy, and section five outlines the team’s future directions.

The desired outcome from our work in the early years is to help children flourish and thrive by providing high quality educational experiences and by enhancing parents’ capacity to be their child’s first teacher and provide a rich home learning environment.

Introduction

4 The Early Years I Position Paper

Key messagesUnderpinning our advocacy, policy, program and service development are the following key messages:

• The greatest change in life chances can be achieved by working with children, and their families, before they go to school. In particular, work to build social and emotional literacy, resilience and self-management needs to commence with children aged 0–3 years.

• Working with parents/carers to build their confidence and skill as their child’s first teacher is a major priority, along with assisting them to create a rich, safe and stimulating home learning environment.

• Research evidence demonstrates the value of parents reading regularly with their children, and our HIPPY program in 100 sites supports families and pre-school children to love reading and learn together.

• Work with mothers and children in the first three years of life is a critical early intervention. For those most disadvantaged families this requires an intentional approach which provides regular group sessions for parents to learn how to educate their child through play, underpinned by home visits and peer support.

• Universal platforms for early intervention and prevention are the most effective, and we will use them where possible. We partner with universal service providers such as kindergartens, maternal and child health services, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) providers and playgroup providers to achieve our goals.

• Early intervention can identify particular groups of families and children who are most at risk and work with them to build their resilience so that they do not fall into the secondary and tertiary child protection system.

• Engaging community members to identify their aspirations, and facilitating their ability to achieve these, is a key aspect of our place-based approach. Working with volunteers in local communities and building the capacity of mothers to move into the workforce are key strategies.

• The most reliable indicator of a child’s ability to move out of poverty is their mother’s educational and/or employment status. Children whose mothers have not completed high school are at the greatest risk (Yamauchi 2010).

• A focus on building the skills and capacity of families and caregivers maximises the opportunities for children with disability or developmental delay to practice and build functional skills.

• To change the life course of the most marginalised or disadvantaged children, we have adapted work by the Annie E. Casey Foundation which has identified the need to work with parents and children at the same time in what is called a 2Generation approach. This approach provides the child with the best quality early years education and the parent(s) with assistance into education, training and or work, along with strong parenting skills and support.

A child’s earliest years fundamentally shape their life chances. Although genetic inheritance influences children’s development, the quality of family environments and the availability of appropriate experiences at various stages of development are crucial for building capabilities.

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From a range of evidence and experience it becomes clear that to move children out of poverty and social exclusion, the following must be achieved:

• Increase family assets – reduce debts, increase income, help build assets

• Support the family into employment with a sound income

• Support child school readiness and success

• Facilitate access to high quality early education and care

• Provide families with health, disability, or other service links or supports

• Improve the mother’s educational level

• Train and support parents as their child’s first teacher

• Assist parents/carers to provide a rich, stimulating home learning environment

• Assist parents/carers to provide warm loving family relationships

• Support the creation of physically and emotionally safe and healthy home and community environments.

Levels of social exclusionIt was estimated in 2014 that 25 per cent of the Australian community experienced some level of social exclusion, and five per cent of Australians aged 15 plus were estimated to have experienced deep social exclusion (Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Melbourne Institute 2014). Groups that are most likely to experience deep and persistent social exclusion and disadvantage include single parents, Indigenous Australians, people from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with a long-term health condition or disability, and people with low educational achievement. Many of those experiencing social exclusion and/or disadvantage are children (McLachlan, Gilfillan and Gordon 2013).

Although Australia enjoys social and economic prosperity, in 2011 11.8% of Australian children under 15 years living with two parents/guardians were living in poverty, and 19.4% of children under 15 years living with one parent were living in poverty (Phillips et al. 2013).

Gaps in capabilities between children from socio-economically disadvantaged families and their more advantaged peers appear early in a child’s life, and can begin a cycle of disadvantage that sets a trajectory for poorer outcomes later in life.

Children living in poverty can experience multiple and compounding sources of stress and this is increasingly recognised as having an impact on child development. Extreme poverty, continuous family chaos, recurrent physical and emotional abuse, chronic neglect, severe and enduring maternal depression, persistent prenatal substance abuse, or repeated exposure to violence in the community or within the family are all likely to result in chronic, toxic stress, particularly in the absence of consistent, supportive relationships to help the child cope (McLachlan, Gilfillan and Gordon 2013).

The early years of life are the most critical time to lay the foundations for a child’s future, and investments of time and money in the early years have been shown to be far more cost-effective than investments made at any other time (Heckman 2013).

Background

The Early Years I Position Paper6

The Brotherhood’s approach to working with children from disadvantaged environments is based on a social ecological framework, which acknowledges the number of different aspects that influence a child’s early development including their family, community and the social and economic opportunities and barriers around them.

The Brotherhood is committed to intervening at the earliest possible stage in a child’s life. We see advocacy and systems change as critical aspects of this intervention.

Challenges for service provisionWhile there are a wide range of services that support families with young children, there are still significant numbers of children who do not have a positive experience in their first years of life. There are major challenges for the service system such as the following factors which diminish the reach and effectiveness of existing early years supports:

• Children and families who would most benefit from early years services are at greatest risk of missing out, or of not participating in, early intervention programs or even universal services.

• The barriers to using early years services identified by families we work with include: cost, availability, transport, housing insecurity and transience, lack of awareness of services and a reluctance to engage for cultural or personal reasons.

• The early years system is complex for families to navigate and gain an understanding of their entitlements. The interplay of federal, state and local government programs, and the disconnection between early years education and care, and child and family services, adds to this complexity. There is no effective mechanism to connect families with the supports they need, or to identify and reach out to families who are missing out.

• Universal early years services are not narrowing the equity gap. High quality preschool is beneficial to all children. Those who attend preschool programs have a lower rate of developmental vulnerability by the time they start school than those who don’t (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2015). However, attending preschool alone does not redress the equity gap in outcomes between children from the lowest socioeconomic backgrounds compared with their more advantaged peers or those with a significant disability/delay.

• There are inequities in the geographic and socioeconomic distributions of early years supports. Private providers of key allied services such as speech and occupational therapy are clustered in more advantaged socioeconomic areas.

• There is emerging risk in the growth corridors: for example, local government figures indicate that some 60–100 babies are born weekly in growth corridors in the north and west of Melbourne. The provision of essential infrastructure and civic support, including early years services, has not been able to keep pace with the burgeoning populations in these areas.

• Warning signs of the emerging economic and social challenges include high proportions of children who are developmentally vulnerable, comparatively poor school attainment and high rates of youth disengagement.

• There is a lack of engagement with the skills and capabilities of a child’s family and the circumstances of their local community. The developmental vulnerability of children is often a product of, and compounded by, the disadvantage experienced by their parents and the paucity of resources in the local community.

• One in five children start school with developmental vulnerabilities. Many of these children go on to experience poorer school and life outcomes.

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Pathways for successIn drawing together the relevant research and literature about the theories underpinning work with communities and families with children in the first years of life, we have developed the following diagrams to demonstrate what is required to assist a child move from birth to a role in society that is inclusive and ‘successful’. All children commence their lives with their own genetic characteristics, a ‘family’ and a community. The variations in these are fundamental in setting the foundations for the rest of life.

A child’s early learning and development is influenced by many factors. The rapid development of the brain and other biological systems that takes place from conception means that the first five years are the most critical in setting a child up for a successful future. It is in the early years that the foundations for future learning, behaviour and health are laid. Importantly, skills beget skills: the skills we develop as infants, toddlers and preschoolers are cumulative and form the basis for later skill development.

A child’s early learning at home and in the outside world contributes to a chain of effects that either reinforces initial achievements or exacerbates initial difficulties. Accordingly, life chances are shaped by a range of ecological determinants: the quality of their home environment, the circumstances of their family, their contact with early years services, the socioeconomic and cultural capital of their local community and broader societal factors.

Figure 1: Pathways for Success

Enablers

ENABLING SUPPORTING REINFORCING

ENABLING SUPPORTING REINFORCING

Community• Arts & Culture• Geographic location• Access to:

― Employment ― Income ― Quality Education ― ECEC ― Housing ― Affordable health and welfare services

Family• Stable• SES status• Higher education levels• Strong social capital

Rich stimulating

& supportive community

environment

Well developed problem solving

Positive social interaction with

families and peers

Positive self esteem High psychosocial functioning

Formal education and qualifications

Age consistent developmental

sucess

Success in formal learning environments

Strong social capital and productive

social networks

Sustainable employment and income

Self regulationPositive sense of health and

wellbeing

Low risk-taking behaviors

Positive wellbeing

and sense of identity

Positive early brain

development

Rich stimulating

home environment

Child• Genetics• Abilities

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Risk factors for social exclusionIn contrast, the following diagram provides a framework to assist in identifying the risk factors which can set a child on a pathway to social exclusion. This analysis challenges us to consider the most appropriate places to focus our energy and resources as we plan for the future.

Developmental delays are apparent in children as young as two. If such delays are not effectively addressed, they can persist and intensify, setting a child on a trajectory towards poorer school and life outcomes. Some children are at greater risk of developmental vulnerabilities. While children across the social spectrum experience developmental vulnerabilities by the time they start school, these are more prevalent among certain groups.

Indicators of disadvantage for children in the early years:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background

• low AEDC scores

• cultural and linguistic diverse background (CALD) with limited English spoken at home

• parents who are long-term unemployed or underemployed

• a parent or sibling who has a long-term health condition or disability

• parents with limited educational experiences and qualifications

• single/sole parent families

• low-income families

• living in rural towns or remote areas

• living in disadvantaged communities.


Figure 2: Risk factors for social exclusion

Casual risk factors Social exclusion outcomesCommunity

• Disadvantaged location• Low SES• Poor employment options• Lack of transport• Poor access to health services• Low quality education (ECEC)• Low community capital• Low sense of safety• Insecure housing

Family• Unstable• Low SES• Marginal employment• Low attachment• Low parent education• Single parent• Participation in justice system• Poor social capital• Possible violence• Weak links to welfare services• Alcohol and drug abuse

Potential points of intervention:• Child/parent relationship development • Intentional playgroup • High quality early years education and care• Parenting programs

• Positive transitions to school • Early years literacy • Positive family relationships • Strong social and emotional literacy development

Community environment low support

mechanisms, opportunities and options

Poor problem solving

Negative or weak social

interaction with families and

peers

Low self esteem Low

psycho social functioning

Low school success low

education and qualifications

Negative impacts on early brain

development

Developmental lag (AEDC)

Low school engagement & lacks success

in learning environments

Low social capital

negative social networks

Low access to employment

and low income

Home environment lacks

understanding and skills in child

development

Poor self regulation

Poor health and low sense of

wellbeing

High risk taking behaviors

Low wellbeing and weak sense of identity

Broader social, economic, political context

Child• Genetics• Abilities

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Percent of children living in the top 20% of advantaged SES communities, middle 60% of SES communities, and bottom 20%, of disadvantaged communities who are developmentally vulnerable on two or more AEDI domains.

Source: Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute 2013

Attended preschool Did not attend preschool5

10

15

20

25

Highest 20% SESLowest 20% SES Middle 60% SES

Narrowing the gapWhile all children benefit from quality early years programs, children experiencing disadvantage have the most to gain. There is clear evidence that high quality interventions can have an enduring impact on the life chances of young children and ultimately help arrest the cycle of disadvantage. Longitudinal studies of early intervention programs (such as the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program and the Abecedarian Project) for children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the United States demonstrate the positive and long-term effect of early environmental enrichment on school achievement, employment outcomes and social behaviours (Schweinhart 2003).

Australian evidence reveals that attending preschool is associated with improved outcomes. Children who attend preschool have a lower incidence of developmental vulnerability by the time they start school than those who do not. However, preschool alone does not address the gap in outcomes between children from different socio-economic backgrounds, as the following graph reveals. More is needed to address the equity gap.

Figure 3: Equity and ECEC


Targeted interventions can narrow the gap for children from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds before they start early years programs and school. Evidence from a range of US, European and Australian early education and preschool intervention programs targeting disadvantaged children and their families demonstrates that the more effective interventions:

• involve an early start—ideally before birth, in infancy or at the latest, preschool

• include a combination of centre-based activities and home visits

• have a ‘strong dosage’, lasting up to two years and running for at least two sessions per week

• ensure parental involvement, including fathers

• focus on both cognitive and social and emotional skills

• are of high quality and have an age-appropriate curriculum and activities

• engage and build on the aspirations of the local community

• are free or subsidised and voluntary

• are connected to a universal services platform

• are culturally responsive. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders communities, programs benefit from enhancing cultural values and using Indigenous frameworks for interaction.

Major service gaps remain for children aged 0–3 years, for those who do not engage with kindergarten or other centre-based ECEC services and for families that would benefit from home-based programs that equip them to provide a nurturing environment for their child’s learning and development.

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At the Brotherhood, work in the early years is undertaken by the Early Years Transition Leadership Team (EYTLT). The team comprises a group of staff from across the organization working to achieve the following objectives:

Advocacy for policies to meet the needs of disadvantaged children and their families

• Development of early years policy positions

• Agreement on advocacy priorities

• Identification of advocacy opportunities

• Management of stakeholder relationships including state and federal politicians, state and federal bureaucrats, councils and other NGOs

Strategic opportunities

• Exchange of information on new developments and opportunities

• Identification of policy changes in the early years that require The Brotherhood’s response

• Consideration of the implications of research findings for our work

• Development of relationships with key thinkers and service providers in the early years to ensure that we are well informed on current practice

• Contribution to the evidence base across the sector

Quality and innovation in the Brotherhood’s Early Years services

• Program reviews

• Oversight of the practice principles of the Brotherhood’s early years services and programs

• Development of innovative service responses

• Consideration of outcome measurement for early years services

All members of the EYTLT have a current program, research and/or policy role within the organisation. This particular experience is brought together through the leadership team so that the Brotherhood can share best thinking on early years policy, programs and strategy.

Our work is designed to:

• Test new theories/approaches based on emerging evidence

• Demonstrate the potential of different practices within the same service framework

• Develop and/or pilot innovative programs

• Provide leadership in the sector around early years practice

• Contribute to the evidence base.

We work at four levels

• Advocacy through position papers and policy statements

• Program development and resource capacity to ‘test’ good practice

• Research and evaluation to develop and contribute to a strong evidence base

• Collaboration with key stakeholders to strengthen early years policy and practice across the country.

Current Brotherhood approach


Promoting Wellbeing:

Prevention: Early intervention:

Secondary intervention:

Tertiary intervention:

Population wide

Usually universal in nature

When some potential risk factor has been identified

Targeted at specific groups and behaviours

Highly targeted at ‘problem’ groups

Universal services such as kindergartens and other educational settings which are available to the whole community promote wellbeing. The focus is on promoting the positive.

These services assume that children and their families are capable of developing to their fullest potential and ensuring wellbeing in every possible way: they work to keep this option viable.

Schools, recreation services and much of the work of local government such as municipal health plans are part of this approach.

The Brotherhood supports the need for this approach to be available to all children regardless of background, family and community. Work is required to ensure that vulnerable groups have equal access to high quality universal services.

Prevention programs exist because there have been identified potential risks in the community and services have been put in place to prevent this happening.

Prevention is an intervention taken to reduce or eliminate some perceived potential problem.

Awareness campaigns are prevention interventions.

Building protective factors and resilience are seen as prevention interventions.

The Brotherhood contributes to this approach through partnerships and collaboration with universal services. In particular our work in the growth corridors demonstrates our partnerships for pre-vention.

When a potential issue has been identified, an early intervention can ensure that it does not go any further.

For example in recent years there is increased awareness of the importance of the first 3-5 years of life with increased attention on children who may not have the same advantages and may therefore be at risk.

Effective early intervention approaches are those that prevent or arrest problems early in a child’s life, or at early stages in the development of problem situations.

Our work is mainly in this area. We identify children, families and communities at risk and intervene at the earliest opportunity. Our interventions are designed to enhance parent capacity to be the best first teachers for their children and to provide resources and support to ensure that all children have the best possible start in life so that they can flourish.

Secondary interventions are targeted at groups and/or behaviours that have been identified as being a particular issue or problem.

Secondary interventions are usually offered to families that have more than one risk factor in an attempt to stop further risks or problems developing.

Secondary interventions occur to alleviate existing problems and to stop escalation.

Some families, individuals and communities are potentially more vulnerable than others to disrupted development and interventions are developed to address this.

The 2Generation approach to working with families and children is an example of secondary intervention. BSL is introducing this intervention at the Jindi Centre in Mernda, Hothlyn Drive and the Connie Benn Centre.

Tertiary interventions deal with complex issues when there is a need for a much targeted approach and specialist services are required.

Alcohol and drug treatment, adolescent mental health services and anger management programs are examples of specialist tertiary services.

In most cases individuals who require tertiary services have multiple issues to deal with and there are high degrees of individual and family dis-function.

While we may refer families and children to services providing tertiary interventions BSL does not provide these.

Continuum of interventions The Brotherhood has identified early intervention as the priority for its early years work in the community. The following table summarises our understanding of the continuum of interventions from universal through to tertiary interventions. While there is clearly some overlap into both prevention and secondary intervention, the core of our work is early intervention.

Figure 4: Continuum of interventions


Early Years suite of programsThe Brotherhood’s Early Years suite of programs is designed to enhance children’s development, parents’ parenting capacity and the resilience of children and families. Currently these programs offer individual families one-to-one parenting support, information sessions, supported playgroups, fathers’ groups, early years education and parenting courses relating to children’s development and parenting strategies.

In the early years the best way for a child to learn is through play where they develop social and cognitive skills along with a sense of belonging in a group. According to Early Childhood Australia (Barblett 2010) there are various agreed characteristics of play:

• it is enjoyable and pleasurable

• it is usually symbolic in that it is often pretend

• active-play requires action: either physical, verbal or mental engagement with materials, people, ideas or the environment

• it is freely chosen even when those involved are invited to join

• it is its own means and end with no agreed goal other than the play and is its own reward (Shipley 2008).

Play is associated with the development of language and literacy, sociability, and mathematical ability. Social interaction through play occurs in three forms, and is sequential and meaningfully ordered from simple, minimum social interaction to complex, maximum social interaction (social play theory). Education through play is a core foundation for our work in the early years.

Parenting education and support These programs are designed to increase the capacity and skills of parents. They are informed by research on the importance of social and emotional literacy for both parents and children.

Parenting information sessions

Builds parents’ knowledge about children’s development including social/emotional literacy, parent-child interactions and early years transitions.

Parent support and connection

Connects parents (especially mothers) to others in the community to build social inclusion and foster connections between parents currently in isolated situations. It also provide places for parents to play with, and enjoy, their children.

Tuning in to Kids TM

Teaches parents skills in emotion coaching: identifying children’s emotions in a supportive way which helps the child understand and manage feelings and ways to build a positive relationship and respond to behavioural issues. The program, developed by Dr Sophie Havighurst and Ann Harley, has been evaluated in multiple randomised controlled trials that have shown that the program leads to positive outcomes. These include improving parenting, parent-child relationships and children’s emotional competence and behaviour. The program is particularly effective for children with clinical-level emotional and behavioural difficulties.

We support families to have their children be ‘school and life ready’ by assisting them to:

• be enthusiastic and aspirational for their child(ren)

• be their child’s first teacher

• provide a rich stimulating home learning environment

• have their child attend ECEC (or equivalent)

• understand the stages of child development

• support their child to maximise their potential in the areas of numeracy, literacy, social and emotional literacy and communication skills

• provide their child with appropriate equipment and resources

• be ‘school and life ready’ themselves.

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Tuning in to TeensTM

Helps parents/carers gain a greater understanding of their teenagers’ emotional experiences while learning how to stay connected with their child.

In addition, we plan to run these programs in the near future:

Dads Tuning in to KidsTM

includes additional content intended specifically for fathers, while still focusing on the core skills of emotion coaching and building a strong father-child connection; and

Tuning in to ToddlersTM

Teaches parents to respond to their child’s emotions and behaviour using emotion coaching. It has been found to improve parents’ emotion coaching and children’s social and emotional literacy (Lauw, Havighurst & Wilson 2014). This includes education for refuges and migrants about laws and family life in a new context and preventing family conflict and stress.

Supporting parents as their child’s first teacher The UK longitudinal study Performing Against the Odds (Siraj-Blatchford et al. 2011) detailed key factors that enable children to defy the odds of disadvantage. These included ‘active cultivation’ in the home and provision of a rich home learning environment. Quality early years settings and relationships between children and parents/significant adults that are emotionally and practically supportive are also shown to lead to better outcomes for children.

For vulnerable families, research demonstrates the importance of quality early years programs for children’s positive developmental outcomes. It is critical for family wellbeing and positive long-term outcomes for children that parents can access support in their parenting role. We offer the following programs that support parents:

Supported/intentional playgroups

Underpinned by the National Early Years Learning Framework principles, intentional playgroups enable children and parents to engage in positive early learning experiences, supporting good developmental outcomes for children and building the capacity of parents.

Dads and kids playgroup

These groups are for fathers and/or father figures. The group’s purpose is to build the capacity of fathers to engage with their children and to be active in their children’s early learning education and upbringing. The group also assists refugees and migrants adjust to the roles and expectation of fathers in Australia, fathers grappling with new situations (i.e. unemployment), and/or single fathers.

Peer support groups

For a range of reasons, parents with young children can become socially isolated and disconnected from their community. Peer support groups for parents with young children can improve outcomes for the parents by giving them the opportunity to mix and socialise with a group of people in similar family situations. This builds their individual skills, fosters information-sharing and strengthens the capacity of the whole community.

Home visits

Home-visiting by a trained worker is becoming recognised as an important aspect of working with parents and young children who often feel more relaxed

In recognising the importance of parents, our programs are designed to develop positive relationships between parents and their child, to strengthen the capacity of parents as their child’s first teacher, and to assist them to build a rich and stimulating home environment where learning is fostered in all experiences.


in their own home. Parents often appreciate having time to talk to a worker on a one-to-one basis in a safe setting. Understanding the home environment can assist the worker support the parent to create a rich home learning environment.

Refugee Child Outreach

The Refugee Child Outreach program is part of a suite of Family Support Programs for refugee and other newly arrived communities, delivered by the Brotherhood’s Multicultural Communities Team (formally the Ecumenical Migration Centre). Refuge Child Outreach supports families with young children (0–8 years old) who have recently arrived in Australia as refugees. Settling in a new country can be challenging, and navigating a complex system of services for children can be confusing. Furthermore, these families often come from challenging circumstances that made it hard for parents and carers to meet the needs of their children. The program facilitates access to services such as playgroups, childcare, kindergarten and maternal and child health; assistance to attend medical appointments; play sessions in the home to encourage healthy parent-child relationships; advice on parenting and child development; help to access children’s activities in their local community and assistance in finding support for children with special needs, such as a child with a disability. This program covers families living in the local government areas of Brimbank, Hobson’s Bay, Hume, Maribyrnong, Moonee Valley and Yarra.

HIPPY (Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters)HIPPY is a structured two-year, home-based early learning and parenting program for four and five year olds that empowers parents and carers to be their child’s first teacher. Parents and carers deliver a structured 60 week curriculum of educational and behavioural activities to their children. HIPPY builds the confidence and skills of parents and carers to create a positive learning environment to prepare their child for school.

HIPPY uses structured materials and activities designed to be integrated into the daily life of the family. The home tutors, employed in the HIPPY program, are local parents, most of whom were previously HIPPY parents. Home tutors visit each family’s home either weekly or fortnightly to deliver the program. Group meetings are also held to encourage and support families to make connections with others and services in their community. HIPPY’s impact starts with the child and parent and ripples through the community as HIPPY children achieve at school, parents get jobs and families engage more in their community.

A 2015 assessment of the HIPPY curriculum completed by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute confirmed that the HIPPY curriculum aligns with the Australian Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) domains, and the foundation year of the Australian F-10 Curriculum. The HIPPY Australia program also aligns with the National Quality Standard, the Closing the Gap Initiative, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Action Plan 2010–14. The program’s commitment to parental engagement, strengthening relationships, supporting transition to school, local delivery and building employment and education capacities within the local community advances a range of policy initiatives.

In 2016 HIPPY is being delivered in 100 communities, with over half being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In the same year around 4,100 families took part in the program, and more than 550 local people were employed in it. Over 25% of home tutors and children are from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.

HIPPY outcomes for families are:

98%of parents have improved relationship with their child.

97%of children graduating from HIPPY are school ready.

88%of children have improved language and cognitive skills.

82%of parents are more confident as their child’s first teacher.

75%of parents gain confidence through HIPPY to start employment.

(HIPPY Australia 2016)

As well as outcomes for children, the design of HIPPY supports parents to develop confidence and skills to move into the broader workplace an increase their involvement in the community.

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HIPPY Age 3

In collaboration with Southern Queensland Centre of Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care in Inala, Brisbane, a HIPPY Age 3 development program is being delivered over three years. It will conclude in 2017. There has been close engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and community to ensure it is culturally appropriate and socially inclusive. HIPPY Age 3 is aligned to Australian curriculum frameworks and development domains including the EYLF, AEDC and Foundations for Success.

The key outcomes being sought are to:

• enrich the home learning environment by teaching parents to teach their children

• providing stimulus materials and supporting parents

• support positive relationships between children and parents

• maximise participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families; and

• enhance the possibility of children and families in HIPPY Age 3 moving onto HIPPY Age 4 and Age 5.

Action research was undertaken through the HIPPY team to explore the benefits of HIPPY for three-year-old children and their families and to identify opportunities for continuous development. Given the early indications of success, HIPPY Australia is exploring options to expand delivery to other HIPPY sites.

Early childhood early intervention (ECEI)In late 2016 the Brotherhood accepted responsibility for delivering Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) services as part of its Local Area Coordination role under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). NDIS takes a lifetime approach, investing in people with disability early to improve their outcomes later in life. The Brotherhood is delivering Local Area Coordination and ECEI services in the North East Metropolitan Area of Melbourne (NEMA).

Early in the operation of the NDIS trial sites around Australia, it was recognised that children and families required a different approach to the rest of the community. The Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) Approach is how the NDIS is working with early childhood providers to deliver early childhood interventions for children aged 0–6 years.

The overall aim of ECEI is to ensure that parents/caregivers are able to provide experiences and opportunities to young children with developmental delay or disabilities that help them gain and use the functional skills they need to participate meaningfully in their environment.


The ECEI model is based on seven key principles, drawn from the 2016 Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA) National Guidelines:

1. Infants and toddlers learn best through everyday experiences and interactions with familiar people and contexts.

2. All families, with the necessary supports and resources, can enhance their child’s learning and development.

3. The primary role of the service provider in early intervention is to work with and support the family members and caregivers in a child’s life.

4. The early intervention process, from initial contacts through to transition, must be dynamic and individualised to reflect the child’s and family member’s preferences, learning styles and cultural beliefs.

5. Individual Service Support Plan outcomes must be functional and based on children’s and family’s needs and priorities.

6. The family’s priorities, needs and interests are addressed most appropriately by the primary provider who represents and receives team and community support.

7. Interventions with young children and family members must be based on explicit principles, validated practices, best available research and relevant laws and regulations.

Our role as ECEI partners for North East Metropolitan Area (NEMA)

The Early Childhood Access Coordinators at the Brotherhood will be the first contact point for families with children with a disability/developmental delay in NEMA. The Early Childhood Access Coordinators will discuss with the family the most appropriate supports for their child. This includes providing information about, and referrals to, other support services or organisations. Understanding that every child is different, the Early Childhood Access Coordinators will tailor supports to the child’s and family’s individual needs and circumstances.

The Early Childhood Access Coordinators may assist a family with any of the following:

• Providing information to any family who has concern regarding their child’s development

• Referring the family to mainstream service such as a community health service, playgroups or peer support group

• Identifying which children might benefit from some short-term interventions and providing those services

• Identifying children who need long-term early childhood intervention supports and assisting the family request access to the NDIS

• Undertaking the planning process with families who are eligible to access to the NDIS.

The ECEI sits within the Children, Youth and Families division of the Brotherhood and contributes to the development of early years practice and policy. The advantage of having this program co-located with other early years initiatives is that the latest information and evidence can be shared to ensure that early intervention is available in multiple sites.

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Research and evaluationThe work undertaken in the early years is underpinned by the work of the Research and Policy Centre which provides an evidence base and an evaluation process that assist program development and continual improvement.

In the last five years the Centre has produced the following evaluations and reports relevant to our early years programs:

• The national HIPPY evaluation (Liddell et al. 2011)

• Community consultation with 2-5 year olds for the Hobson Bay Council (Clough et al. 2013)

• HIPPY Recruitment and Retention Study (Roost et al. 2014)

• HIPPY Age 3 pilot project evaluation with Inala, Qld (2015)

The Centre is currently undertaking the following evaluations of our early years programs:

• The Family Stress and Chronic Disadvantage project, funded by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and the Melbourne Neuroscience Institute

• HIPPY longitudinal study

The following internal documents have been produced by the Centre to support the work of the EYTLT:

• Background Paper for the Early Years Leadership Team (July 2015)

• Development of an evaluation framework for both Growing Learners and the 2Generation approach

• Preparation and implementation of an evaluation framework for an early years integrated centre

• Literature exploration of different approaches and models for Hub development

Finally, reviews have been undertaken for a number of ongoing programs at the Connie Benn Centre in Fitzroy including:

• Intentional playgroups

• Breakfast Club

• Atherton Gardens Network Social and Emotional Literacy Project

The Brotherhood is committed to rigorous data collection through Efforts to Outcomes (ETO), high quality standards and ensuring that what we do makes a difference which we measure through Results Based Accountability (RBA). Our evaluative effort includes regular team involvement in reflective practice.


Building on organisational history and experience, along with the latest research findings, the Brotherhood has developed two new interconnected programs, an approach to working in and with communities and an integrated partnership approach to working in growth corridors. These come together in the Jindi Family and Community Centre, which opened in Mernda in north-east Melbourne in 2015.

Growing learnersGrowing learners is a direct outcome of the research and trialling of a range of approaches and models to address the issues that keep children in poverty. It builds on the work of the Connie Benn Centre intentional playgroups.

The model is a targeted intervention for vulnerable or disadvantaged families that places parents/primary caregivers as the crucial educator of their children. Families are enrolled in the program for 12–18 months, and the program is delivered through parent-child learning groups, home visits and parent peer support group sessions. These include the following:

Intentional playgroups: Children, parents and early educators engaging in developmentally appropriate activities in a rich educational group setting. The educator models and supports families in the group setting.

Home visits: The worker visits homes of families to support learning in the home. The worker goes through activities and offers strategies to embed these routines. Activities can be modelled and explored with the parent and child. Home visits can also contribute to a rich home learning environment.

Parenting peer support groups: These involve 8–12 participants and one or two facilitators per session. The facilitator shares their knowledge on parenting, early learning and development and participants share their knowledge and wisdom, as well as developing social support networks and building personal confidence.

Fathers’ group: A father-inclusive approach promoting children’s learning. The father’s support group is based on some early evidence that father’s involvement in their child’s early learning experiences will have a long-term impact. It is often difficult to engage fathers in parenting programs and this approach commences with a program of ‘outings’ which focus on how fathers can help their children learn in everyday experiences.

Digital support: Based on a program developed in the USA we are adapting an App which allows parents to access activities that they can do in everyday experiences such as going to the supermarket or playing in the park. This turns often difficult situations into playful learning time.

The Brotherhood is working with Peeple UK and Early Start, Wollongong University to develop and document this model.

Innovation and integration

Growing Learners: A unique stacked intervention providing structured, intentional playgroups, parenting peer support groups, home visits and digital innovative support for families with children aged 0-3 years.

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Figure 5: Growing Learners Model

FrameworksEarly Intervention

Attachment Theory

Social Ecological model of development

Community engagement

Parent as child’s first teacher

Home visitsEvaluation findings have captured both short and long-term impacts of home visitation programs for parents and their young children.

For new parents the short term outcomes include:

• Enhanced parent-child interaction

• More efficient use of health care services

• Enhanced child development and early detection of developmental delays

Longer term outcomes include:

Reduced welfare dependency, Higher rates of school completion and job retention and reduction in the frequency and severity of maltreatment.

For Toddlers short term outcomes include:

• Early literacy skills• Social competence• Parent involvement in learningLonger term outcomes include:

Stronger school performance, fewer behavior problems and higher rates of high school completion (Daro, 2006)

Parent peer groupsFewer incidents of child maltreatment.

Reduction in prevalence of negative and unhelpful parenting attributions eg parent attributing child’s behavior to malicious intent

Greater ability to use positive and productive discipline rather than punitive ones

Increased parental competence and self-efficacy

Greater knowledge and awareness of child development, risk factors and child outcomes following abuse and neglect (Holzer, Bromfield, Richardson and Higgins, 2006).

There is a relationship between high levels of positive father involvement and positive self-esteem in children (Culp et al. 2000).

Studies have consistently found that children with highly involved fathers experience positive outcomes in socioemotional, behavioural and cognitive/educational domains (Lamb & Tamis-LeMonda 2004).

Digital support:An app which will support parents’ teaching role through everyday activities accessible on a mobile phone.

Learning through playgroupsBenefits are seen across all domains of child development: physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive.

Children who do not attend playgroups are 1.78 more likely to be developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains at school entry after adjusting for socio-economic and demographic differences (Kids Telethon Institute, 2015).

Peep Learning Together Programme resources are being adapted for use in the learning groups.


2Generation approachIncreasing numbers of funders and practitioners are concerned that their programs may not be having the desired impact. While they may work for an individual, they have very little impact on the overall demographics. For example, in spite of millions of dollars being allocated to a wide range of programs, unemployment is increasing, family violence levels keep increasing, children drop out of school and young people are caught in the justice and out of home care systems. Work by the Annie E Casey Foundation (USA) demonstrates that individual interventions are inadequate and that what is needed is to bring together interventions that address the needs of both generations at the same time. People working on the 2Generation approach have identified the following as the most successful mix of interventions:

For low-income, low-skilled parents, the approach emphasizes three core components:

• workforce development

• programs that help parents obtain and retain family supporting jobs

• asset building programs that help parents save money, improve their credit rating and reduce financial transaction costs.

For young children, the 2Generation approach emphasises:

• high quality care and education where children are nurtured within a safe environment with effective teaching

• family engagement which focuses on building parent confidence, competence and commitment through learning programs which assist the parent become the child’s first teacher.

Through this dual model of integrated supports, both parents and their children are more likely to achieve lasting family success (Annie E Casey Foundation) and this success will influence the broader social system.

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Figure 6: 2Generation Approach

Family entry through a universal service such as ECEC, M&CH Triggers identified through the following:

Child focused programs:

• Engagement in high quality early learning and care

• Referral to appropriate specialist services to deal with physical and emotional wellbeing

Child-Parent Development programs: Growing Learners;

• Intentional play group

• Parent peer support

• Home visits• Father’s Groups• Digital Innovation

and support

Parent focused programs:

• Education, training and employment pathways

• Financial planning and management

• Referral to specialist services such as domestic violence, A&D, mental health

Education and wellbeing plan conducted by

educators

Maternal and child health services

Self-presentation

Assessment and action plan developed by Economic Participation Worker and Child and Early years Development Worker, which identifies the strengths within the family along with the issues which need to be addressed immediately in the

best interests of the child.

The plan will equally address the three aspects of the child, the parent and the child/parent relationship. Plans will involve referral and coordination with

other appropriate agencies and regular meetings with the parents. Families are involved in all three aspects.


Figure 6: 2Generation Approach Engaging communitiesThe Brotherhood’s Strategic Plan commits the organisation to engage with and strengthen the communities where we work to better reflect local aspirations. In doing so, we aim help the broader community to understand the benefits of our work and encourage them to become involved. This is of particular relevance to our early intervention work in communities experiencing disadvantage.

This approach involves using community engagement principles to bring people together to create a child friendly community by identifying common aspirations and facilitating joint action to ensure that they are realised Our approach to community engagement is aspirational and rigorous, bringing groups within the community together based on what they want to achieve as families and assisting them to find ways to do so. This approach is affirming of the community’s ability to find its own solutions with the appropriate support.

There are a number of ways in which community engagement can assist with early years development including:

• Encouraging and facilitating families as community members to identify their aspirations and supporting them to realise those aspirations

• Engaging children in conversations about their aspirations for their future

• Providing high quality resources, settings and relationships

• Building a sense of connection and belonging along with economic and civic participation

• Providing formal and informal supports for parents and children

• Bringing together service providers and community groups to stimulate a network of action, improve access and address service and program gaps.

The diagram on the following page summarises our approach to community engagement.

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Figure 7: Cycle of Community Engagement

Philosophy of practice

Empowerment

Engagement

Community ownership

Appreciative enquiry

Community driven

Explore possibilities

Build on assets

Strengths based

1Identify

community 2Gather

community knowledge

Aspirational interviews, appreciative discussions

and community conversations

3Identify

community rhythms and

leaders

4Hold innovation

spaces

5Develop

community action plan

Based on evidence and community knowledge

6Take actionBuild on community strengths and assets

COMMUNITYPlace

InterestedStructure

Characteristics


An integrated approach In a unique partnership with Goodstart Early Learning, the Brotherhood has developed a model for an Early Years Hub which integrates the three programs outlined above with a high quality early learning centre and other key universal services.

The first integrated Early Childhood Education and Care Community Hub based on this approach is the Jindi Family and Community Centre, which opened in Mernda in 2015, and is a collaboration between the Brotherhood, Goodstart Early Learning and the City of Whittlesea. The desired outcomes for the integrated approach are that:

• All children achieve their developmental potential and make a successful transition to school

• Families are engaged in their child’s learning and development as their child’s first teacher

• Families have strong connections in their local communities and feel included in community life

• Parents and carers increase their economic and social participation in education and employment

• The local community is strong and able to enhance and support outcomes for children and families

• Community members are able to work together to achieve their aspirations.

In our approach, community engagement is the first connection that many families will have with a service or program. Outside the Centre in shopping centres, recreation clubs, and other locations where parents congregate, our community engagement worker connects and engages with parents about their aspirations for themselves, their children and their community and then brings them together to work on realising these aspirations.

Universal services, such as Maternal and Child Health, community playgroups, early learning and kindergarten services and parent activities provide a non-stigmatising entry point critical to providing essential opportunities for children and families to learn and develop. For the majority of families and children universal services are sufficient to achieve wellbeing and a sound start before school. In other cases these services can identify children and families who need additional support.

Some of this additional support is provided by health and welfare specialists such as family support workers, speech and occupational therapists, dentists and hearing specialists. This support is accessed through on-site services and referrals.

For other families, where there are more complex issues to address, specialist programs such as Growing Learners and the 2Generation approach are available. As described above, Growing Learners is a comprehensive and intentional approach to building the skills of parents to be their child’s first teacher. The 2Generation approach is built on international evidence that shows that working with the child and the parents at the same time has the most potential for success.

Figure 7: Cycle of Community EngagementIn adopting a social ecological approach the Brotherhood understands the imperative of working at a number of levels within communities. We are committed to strengthening the communities we work with and see this as a critical step in ensuring positive and connected communities for the benefit of all children and their families.

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Growing learnersIntentional playgroups: children, parents in a rich educational group setting. Home visits, parenting peer support, fathers group and digital support.

A dual focused model for both parents and their children which

provides quality ECEC for children. Employment support for parents and an intensive child/parent development program.

Community engagementEnsures that people in the local community are engaged in the identification of aspirations and the most

effective ways of achieving these.

Universal servicesProvides a non-stigmatizing entry point which is appropriate for the majority of children and families

and includes long day care, ECEC, M&CH.

Specialist servicesSome children will need some specialist intervention to assist with their development such as speech therapy, hearing and dental work, mental

health and disability services.

Figure 8: Integrated Child and Family Centre

2Generation approach


The Early Years Transition Leadership Team has agreed on the following future directions and actions:

Advocacy for policies to meet the needs of disadvantaged children and their families

Actions:

• Increase our engagement with stakeholders and partners through a targeted strategy which includes key service providers and peak bodies

• Advocate on our position to influence government policy development and reports

• Develop clear messages on the early years that can be used in our advocacy work

• Explore greater opportunities to learn from our work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Strategic opportunities

Actions:

• Develop an early intervention and prevention approach for children aged 0–3 years focusing on the Brotherhood’s potential contribution, and synergy with existing early years programs across the sector.

• Implement and evaluate the 2Generation approach and the Growing Learners program in a range of locations

• Organise Early Years earning roundtable(s) to build relationships and bring together agencies to discuss community engagement, early intervention strategies and successful approaches to working in the early years

• Continue development of early years programs within the context of community engagement in new growth corridor areas.

Quality and innovation in the Brotherhood’s Early Years services

Actions:

• Regularly interrogate the lessons learnt from program reviews, research and evaluation and use these to inform future program developments

• Maintain high quality frameworks across all early years programs and services and implement Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) and Results Based Accountability (RBA) across all programs

• Develop strong relationships with partners working in similar areas to build a community of practice and to innovate collaboratively

• Document our practice for peer review and presentation

• Build on our experience with children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to improve our work in diverse communities.

Figure 8: Integrated Child and Family Centre

Future directions

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Australian Government, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2013, Australian Households and Families, Melbourne viewed 26/10/2015, https://aifs.gov.au/publications/australian-households-and-families

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2015. Literature review of the impact of early childhood education and care on learning and development: working paper. Cat. no. CWS 53. Canberra: AIHW.

Barblett, L, 2010, Why Play Based Learning, Every Child, Vol 16, viewed 7/12/2016, http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/every-child-magazine/every-child-index/every-child-vol-16-3-2010/play-based-learning-free-article/

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Melbourne Institute 2014, Social exclusion monitor, Melbourne viewed 26/10/2015, http://www.bsl.org.au/research-and-publications/social-exclusion-monitor/who-experiences-social-exclusion/age/

Clough, A, Roost, FD & Dommers, E (2013). Community consultation with 2–5 year olds for the Hobsons Bay Council, Children and Young People’s Plan. Melbourne: Brotherhood of St Laurence.

Early Childhood Intervention Australia (2016) National Guidelines – Best Practice in Early Childhood Intervention.

Heckman, JJ, 2013, Giving Kids a Fair Chance (A Strategy That Works), Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Lauw, M, Havighurst, S & Wilson K, et al (2014). Improving parenting of toddlers’ emotions using an emotion coaching parenting program: A pilot study of tuning in to toddlers. Journal of community Psychology, 42(2), 169-175.

Liddell, M, Barnett, T, Roost, FD & McEachran, J, 2011, Investing in our future: an evaluation of the national rollout of the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY): final report to DEEWR. Melbourne: Brotherhood of St Laurence.

McLachlan, R, Gilfillan, G & Gordon, J, 2013, Deep and persistent disadvantage, Productivity Commission Staff Working Paper, Canberra.

Pfannesntiel, J. and Seltzer, D. (1989). New parents as teachers: Evaluation of an early parent education program. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 4(1), 1-18.

Phillips, B, Miranti, R, Vidyattama, Y & Cassels, R, 2013, Poverty, social exclusion and disadvantage in Australia. Report prepared for UnitingCare Children, Young People and Families, NATSEM at the University of Canberra, Canberra.

Roost, FD, McColl, NJ, Allan, M & Dommers, E, 2014, Recruiting and retaining families in HIPPY. Melbourne: Brotherhood of St Laurence.

Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, 2013 April. A Snapshot of Early childhood development in Australia 2012: Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) National Report. Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Schweinhart, LJ, 2003 High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, Benefits, Costs, and Explanation of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program, Melbourne viewed 26/10/2015, http://www.highscope.org/file/Research/PerryProject/Perry-SRCD_2003.pdf

Siraj-Blatchford, I, Mayo, A, Melhuish, E, Taggart, B, Sammons, P & sylva, K, 2011, Performing against the odds: developmental trajectories of children in the EPPSE 3-16 study. UK Government, Department of Education. viewed 26/10/2015, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/183318/DFE-RR128.pdf

Shipley, D. (2008). Empowering children. Play based curriculum for lifelong learning. (Fourth ed.). USA: Nelson Education.

Yamauchi, C., 2010, Parental investment in children: Differential pathways of parental education and mental health. The Economic Record, 86 (273). 210-226

References


https://aifs.gov.au/publications/australian-households-and-families

https://aifs.gov.au/publications/australian-households-and-families

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/every-child-magazine/every-child-index/every-child-vol-16-3-2010/play-based-learning-free-article/



http://www.bsl.org.au/research-and-publications/social-exclusion-monitor/who-experiences-social-exclusion/age/



http://www.highscope.org/file/Research/PerryProject/Perry-SRCD_2003.pdf

http://www.highscope.org/file/Research/PerryProject/Perry-SRCD_2003.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/183318/DFE-RR128.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/183318/DFE-RR128.pdf

Brotherhood of St Laurence67 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065Ph: (03) 9483 1183bsl.org.au

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