Approach & Impact
‘The Education Benalla Program represents ‘best practice’ in the area of philanthropy-driven collective impact community intervention.’
University of Melbourne, Evaluation Report: Overview of the First Phase 2010 – 2014
Overview
The Education Benalla Program (EBP) is an ambitious community-led approach to addressing disadvantage in Benalla and district by improving educational outcomes for Benalla’s young people.
In 2007 Professor Tony Vinson identified Benalla as one of Victoria’s most socially disadvantaged communities. His finding that lower levels of educational attainment perpetuate the cycle of disadvantage drew the attention of the Tomorrow Today Board. It found:
- On average, Benalla kids do not do as well at school as students from other parts of the State
- There is a lower level of expectation about how well our kids will do at school because of the high level of social disadvantage experienced in Benalla
As Benalla’s independent Community Foundation, Tomorrow Today was in an ideal position to bring together everyone with an interest in Benalla’s kids. Public agencies, private business, local families, schools, local government, community groups and external philanthropy have all come together to improve Benalla student outcomes.
Tomorrow Today has developed a long term, whole-of-community program that spans family, school and community life. Starting in 2010, it is now an advanced Australian example of the collective impact approach to addressing complex community problems.
Our Approach
The problem
A high level of social disadvantage in the Benalla district adversely impacts on educational attainment.
The solution
Completion of Year 12 or an apprenticeship is necessary for young people to improve their lifelong health, economic, and social outlook. Improvement in Benalla’s Year 12 completion rate, to state average or better, can be achieved through a whole-of-community development program (place-based) that mitigates the effects of disadvantage.
Creating change
Education = Families + Schools + Community
Children learn in three environments – the family, the school and the community. Supporting children in each environment will be more effective than a schools-only approach.
Whole of Community
It takes a village to educate a child. Cross-sectoral partnerships that help to collapse silos and that encompass schools, community groups, business, government and non-government agencies are necessary to achieve the desired outcomes.
Child by Child
While collaboration across the service delivery system is key to the program, the whole focus is to change individuals’ educational attainment levels, child by child in Benalla and district.
Birth to Career
No single activity will achieve the desired outcome. Addressing the impact of social disadvantage requires a long-term approach, combining many complementary projects and activities – from birth to career.
Community-led
As Benalla’s independent community foundation, Tomorrow Today is in the best position to bring together everyone with an interest in Benalla’s children. We have developed a long term, whole-of-community program that spans family, school and community life. Implementation commenced in 2010, after two years of research and development. It is now an advanced Australian example of a collective impact approach to addressing complex community problems.
Stronger together
When public agencies, private business, local families, schools, local government, community groups and external philanthropy all work together, with the common focus of improving Benalla student outcomes, there’s an opportunity for real change. As we find ways to help a generation of children achieve their individual potential, benefits to the community will be significant, measurable and ongoing.
Program Summary
Long Term Goal
That education and training rates for Benalla’s 17 – 24 year olds equal or exceed the Victorian average.
Aims:
Significant and sustained improvement in:
- Number of students completing Year 12
- Number of Benalla’s young people (17-20) transitioning to tertiary education
- Number of Benalla’s young people (18-24) completing a diploma or degree
- Number of Benalla’s young people successfully completing an apprenticeship
Objectives:
- Every Benalla child starts school ready to learn
- Literacy and numeracy levels are measurably improved
- Student wellbeing is improved
- Community expectations for children’s education are raised
Sub-Programs:
- Early years (0 – 8 years)
- Future Work (from age 11 years)
- Collaboration – a whole community working together to achieve our aims
Our Impact
Ten years on, the Education Benalla Program has created impressive outcomes.
Most promising are the results from the Australian Early Development Census, which show both a dramatic reduction in levels of child vulnerability in Benalla, and that Benalla children are catching up to the State average of being ‘on track’ at the start of school. In fact, Benalla is now on par with state averages in the categories of Physical Health and Wellbeing, and Communication Skills and General Knowledge. It has significantly improved in the domains of Social Competence and Language and Cognitive Skills.
EARLY YEARS
of Benalla families attend PEEP (1)
Significantly improved rates of healthy early childhood development
5,214 volunteer hours given by Reading Buddy volunteers
FUTURE WORK
254 young people mentored(2) by trained community volunteers
350% increase in work experience placements (3)
increase in transition to work or study post-school (4)
COLLABORATION
Government + business + community working together
124 local organisational partners
Whole of community: Child by child
Footnotes: 1. Includes families with preschool aged children who attended at least 10 weeks of Parents Early Education Partnership (PEEP) between 2015-2019 2. Through our Connect9 program, 2011-2021 3. Benalla P-12 College data, increase in work experience placements in 2019 compared to previous four years (2015-2018) 4. Benalla P-12 College and FCJ College, dandolo analysis of Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) data, 2014 to 2018
The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) measures how young children are developing in their first year of full-time school, every three years across the nation.
Children in Benalla are catching up to the State average of being ‘on track’ at the start of school. Benalla’s children have caught up to the State average in the areas of ‘physical health and wellbeing’ and ‘communication skills and general knowledge’.
Significant decrease in children’s developmental vulnerablility
A dramatic reduction in levels of child vulnerability now positions Benalla much closer to state and national averages.
