A unique education program developed by Tomorrow Today and delivered in collaboration with local preschools, volunteers and families was honoured with a special commendation at the 2023 Victorian Early Years Awards ceremony in Melbourne on Thursday 9 November.
Tomorrow Today staff, Janene Humphries, Sally Matheson, Robyn Saunders, Rosie Koop and board members, Louise Pearce and Florent Thivillier, were joined by Jodie Feehan from Gumnuts Preschool and Deb Kelly from Ride Ave Preschool, to accept the special award for the Preschool Screening Program in the “Creating Collaborative Community Partnerships” category at the prestigious event.
Mr Thivillier, who also convenes the Education Benalla Program management committee explained further, “The Victorian Early Years Awards pay tribute to the incredible work that early educators do for the youngest members of our communities. Community partnerships are key to the success of the Education Benalla Program and so, it was an honour to receive a special commendation in this important category.”
The Kinder Immersion program was developed in 2017 by past Tomorrow Today staff member, Cathy Hair. The six-week program is designed to address gaps in the pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills of preschool aged children to ensure Benalla’s children start school ready to learn.
Tomorrow Today partners with six local preschools: Smart Play, Gumnuts Preschool, Ride Ave Preschool, Munro Ave Preschool, Bernard Briggs Kindergarten and ProKidz to deliver the immersive program.
Trained volunteers, known as KinderPals, help to implement the activities at each centre, spending time every week reading with children and engaging them in conversations about books and play. As part of the program, Tomorrow Today provides educational materials for each preschool to use in their centre and for families to use at home to support their child’s learning.
Tomorrow Today Executive Officer, Rosie Koop elaborated; “We are very proud of the partnerships with local preschools that have deepened through the Kinder Immersion program. More importantly, we know that addressing those gaps in a child’s learning as early as possible has a huge positive impact on their long-term education outcomes.”