Early Years Partnership boosted with injection of $34.6 million

The West Australian Government and the Minderoo Foundation will continue to invest in better outcomes for the state’s children with the injection of $34.6 million for the Early Years Partnership.

Funding of $15.6 million has been set aside in the upcoming WA State Budget to support the 10-year-partnership, while Minderoo Foundation will provide an additional $19 million to ensure continued investment in the critical stages of child development.

The Early Years Partnership is a collaboration between the State Government, the Minderoo Foundation and the Telethon Kids Institute. It aims to improve the development, health and learning of children aged 0-4 years across its partner communities of Armadale, Central Great Southern, Derby and Bidyadanga.

Each Early Years Partnership community has led the development of their own Community Plan, identifying key priorities to improve children’s wellbeing and school readiness. The communities are supported to develop evidence-based solutions which are implemented at the local level.

“The Early Years Partnership provides the foundations for our children to grow and learn, and sets up communities for success,” WA Premier Roger Cook said. 

The combined funding uplift will deliver 24 priority projects under the Early Years Partnership, supporting significant progress on the implementation of Community Plans.

These projects include the construction of an Early Learning and Family Centre (Derby), additional support for child dental health services (Great Southern Region), increased Child and Maternal Health Checks (Armadale West), and more accommodation for visiting early years and family support service providers (Bidyadanga).

The new funding will also help deliver improved access to early learning, support early identification and intervention of developmental delay, and provide critical family support to enable children’s development and school readiness.

The Early Years Partnership is evaluated independently by Telethon Kids Institute, ensuring the model can be utilised in communities facing similar challenges, benefiting all Western Australian families and communities.

“The Early Years Partnership prioritises community-led decision-making and partnerships to implement solutions that build upon the strengths of each community and addresses their unique challenges,” WA Early Childhood Education Minister Sabine Winton said. 

“This investment will ensure the Early Years Partnership continues to promote new ways of working to achieve great results for children, families and the wider community.”