Change Management Toolkit created to support leadership

Freya Lucas

Jan 29, 2025

Save

As Four-Year-Old Kindergarten transitions to Pre-Prep, some degree of change will be required at every service, from large providers with multiple services to small kindergartens with a parent-run committee of management.

To help support this transition, the Victorian Department of Education has created a Change Management Toolkit, designed for service leaders and centre managers/directors in standalone (sessional) kindergarten services and long day care (LDC) centres in Victoria.. The toolkit may also be useful for teachers and educators.

Featuring expertise from Professor Joce Nuttall, the toolkit is divided into key themes such as engaging and collaborating with teams, program modelling options, ideas for communicating change to families, and tools to support services to develop and implement plans for the continued roll-out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and Pre-Prep. The toolkit includes:

Theme	Detail
Information and tools to help services work with their teams and families to plan and implement Pre-Prep and continue to roll out Three-Year-Old Kindergarten	How to use your teams’ knowledge and expertise to inform the way changes are made Leading change, including 3 core change principles you can use that are based on research with leaders in early childhood services Retaining and valuing your skilled teachers and educators
Practical information about program modelling options that services can explore to expand their programs	Program modelling options, including multi-age groups, rotational models, teaching longer days and team teaching
Information to support services to communicate with families about the reforms	Engaging and communicating with families about the reforms and Pre-Prep.

While there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to leading change, the three core change principles in the toolkit are based on ten years of research with leaders in early childhood services.

To see Professor Nuttall share more information about the toolkit and the change principles, please see here.

Access the Toolkit here.

Don’t miss a thing

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

More than 100 regulatory officers conducted unannounced inspections at over 220 early learning services in a single-day compliance operation, as the NSW Early Learning Commission intensifies oversight across the sector.

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

In February the Western Australian State Administrative Tribunal handled two separate disciplinary proceedings brought by the CEO of the Department of Communities against out-of-school-hours care (OSHC) providers. Both cases highlight critical failures in active supervision, particularly concerning highly vulnerable children diagnosed with autism who managed to wander away from their respective services unnoticed.

What Can Australia Learn from Ontario’s Child Care Ratios?

As workforce pressures continue to shape early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy discussions in Australia, international comparisons provide useful perspectives. Canada’s approach, particularly in Ontario, offers a case study in how educator-to-child ratios, maximum group sizes and qualification requirements can be legislated as an integrated framework.

National Early Childhood Worker Register: commencing 27 February 2026

The introduction of the National Early Childhood Worker Register from the 27 February, has signalled a significant shift in workforce oversight across early childhood education and care (ECEC).

2026 anaphylaxis action plan updates and what they mean for early childhood leaders

Severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, remain one of the most critical emergency health risks in early childhood settings. Recent clinical guidance and therapeutic changes underscore why educators and service leaders must stay informed, confident and compliant.

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

What Can Australia Learn from Ontario’s Child Care Ratios?

National Early Childhood Worker Register: commencing 27 February 2026

The introduction of the National Early Childhood Worker Register from the 27 February, has signalled a significant shift in workforce oversight across early childhood education and care (ECEC).