Innovation Grants now open to support ECEC services to trial staff retention measures

The Victorian State Government has made a range of innovation grants available to support early childhood education and care (ECEC) services to trial new and innovative place-based solutions for improving early childhood teacher retention rates in their organisations.

Organisations who provide an approved ECEC service in Victoria can apply if they deliver a Victorian-funded kindergarten program, and have at least one early childhood teacher in the first five years of their career employed in a teaching role at the service (not including casual relief teachers).

Grants between $5,000 and $30,000 are available for initiatives that:

• improve early childhood teacher retention in the workforce
• increase sector engagement and partnerships in the development of workforce solutions
• increase the capacity of the early childhood sector to respond to workforce retention issues.

Consortium applications are welcome to allow applicants to combine their capacity, specialist capability and expertise to deliver the Innovation Grant’s desired outcomes. Consortia may include partnerships with non-ECEC services, if an approved provider of a Victorian ECEC service that meets all the eligibility criteria is nominated as the lead organisation.

To learn more, visit the 2021 early childhood teacher supports webpage. Applications for the Innovation Grants close 2pm on Monday 21 June 2021.