AllPlay Learn program helps children transition well to school

An innovative program from Deakin University is supporting children with additional needs or developmental challenges to manage transition points in their educational journey, from early learning through to higher education.

AllPlay Learn is a freely available evidenced-based resource program produced by Deakin in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education and Training. Program creators are now  releasing ‘Back to School’ packs for families and educators through its website.

AllPlayTM Founder Professor Nicole Rinehart said the packs have resources for each transition stage, from childcare and kindergarten to primary school, then to secondary school, and finally to post-school education, training or employment.

Children with additional needs are one of the key at-risk groups during school transitions, so there is a real need to get better at working together to support our young people through that period, Professor Rinehart told local news source The Geelong Advertiser. 

The resources in the AllPlay Learn program draw on scientific evidence “distilled from screening more than 177,000 research papers,” she explained, outlining that research had been reviewed by a variety of professionals to ensure its suitability for the program. 

Transition support resources include information sheets, checklists, strategies, schedules, scripts, case studies, stories and videos to help children to make the best transitions in 2020, with materials specifically aimed at parents, students and educators.

To view the range of resources specific to early childhood, please see the website, here. The original coverage of this story, as written by The Geelong Advertiser, please see here.