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Policy
Yarran program gives Central Coast children the chance to Start Strong
Freya Lucas
Sep 09, 2021
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A new program offered by Yarran early intervention service will allow New South Wales preschoolers the opportunity to have the strongest possible start to school by giving flexible support to children and their families that will address the barriers they are experiencing that prevent or impede them from accessing early childhood education options including childcare, preschool, and playgroups.
The free program for families is provided by Yarran and is one of the Start Strong Pathways funded by the NSW Government.Yarran will run ‘Ready to Go’ centre-based groups where families and their children can attend to receive educationally and age-appropriate routines and activities that will foster their development and develop skills needed for successful inclusion in early childhood services.
Ready to Go Key Workers
Yarran has employed experienced early childhood intervention teachers and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care qualified professionals to provide a range of supports that families and children may need to enable them to access early childhood education services.
Who can access the Ready to Go Program?
Any families based on the NSW Central Coast who want their child to attend a childcare, preschool, or a playgroup but for many different reasons need help to achieve this goal are able to be supported.
These reasons may include (but are not limited to) families whose child has a disability or a delay in any area of their development, Indigenous or culturally and linguistically diverse background, at risk or vulnerable, socially, and geographically isolated.
What supports can the Ready to Go staff provide?
Key Workers provide support to the child and their family in a variety of different settings such as home, playgroups and Yarran’s Playrooms and orientation at childcare/preschool.
Key Workers can address the developmental delays that may prevent a child accessing childcare, and help children and families to develop the skills needed to promote their engagement, independence and participation in childcare routines while also focusing on the parent’s emotional, material, and informational support and needs.
Support family’s pathways to childcare and preschool
Families will be supported by their Key Worker to enrol their child into the early childhood service of their choice and those that best meet the needs of their child and family. Support and advocacy can be provided by attending enrollment meetings with the family and the childcare/preschool setting.
Key Workers can support the family to gather and organise any paperwork or documents needed to access childcare including birth certificates, immunisation, assessments, and diagnosis, etc.
Children will have an individual learning plan developed that documents each child's individual goals, teaching strategies and evaluation of the child's progress. This learning plan will address skills the child needs including communication, social skills, self-help, appropriate behaviours, fine and gross motor, sensory etc.
For further information and support
For those early childhood services who wish to refer families to the Ready to Go program, please email or phone Yarran’s CEO- Glenn Marie Wright on 0414943404 or yarranceo@msn.com
Families are also able to self refer, using the same contact methods outlined above. A Key Worker from the Ready to Go program will contact the family or service to follow up.
The program is free to families and is not related to any NDIS funding.
For more information, see here.
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