Early Learning for Three Year Olds initiative

On 10 August 2023 the Tasmanian Minister for Education announced stakeholder engagement to be undertaken in Hobart and Launceston to better understand the supports and action needed for further expansion of early learning for three year olds in these areas (also known as the Research and Development Project).

DECYP has engaged Ernst and Young to undertake stakeholder engagement with the Early Childhood Education and Care sector in Greater Hobart and Greater Launceston to better understand issues, barriers to service expansion and opportunities to overcome these, with consideration of ECEC initiatives underway in other states and territories.

Findings from the stakeholder engagement along with economic modelling will inform actions toward the long-term goal of Universal Access to early learning for three year olds in Tasmania, and is an important part of the partnership approach between the Tasmanian Government and the ECEC sector to achieve this goal.

We strongly encourage ECEC services and providers to participate in stakeholder engagement activities with the Ernst and Young team where possible. Opportunities will include focus groups, workshops, interview and an ECEC sector survey in June and July 2024.

 Key upcoming opportunities include:

• At the ECEC Roundtable on 1 July 2024 in Campbell Town, as per the invitation sent out to ECEC services and providers, and
• Through an Online Survey for management and senior staff at ECEC services across the whole State, to capture qualitative and quantitative data on service demand and capacity (from late-June 2024).

Further information on these and other opportunities will be provider through Communique’s to the ECEC sector and on this website as soon as it becomes available.

• Universal Early Learning for Three Year Olds – Co-Design Planning Group (PDF, 650KB)
• Early Learning for Three Year Olds – Feb 2023 (PDF, 465KB)
• Early Learning for Three Year Olds – April 2023 (PDF, 465KB)
• Early Learning for Three Year Olds – July 2023 (PDF, 485KB)
• Early Learning for Three Year Olds – Oct 2023 (PDF, 465KB)
• Early Learning for Three Year Olds – November 2023 (PDF, 146KB)
• Early Learning for Three Year Olds – February 2024 (PDF, 126KB)
• Early Learning for Three Year Olds – April 2024 (PDF, 128 KB)
• Early Learning for Three Year Olds – June 2024 (PDF, 128 KB)

The first ECEC Roundtable for Early Learning for Three Year Olds initiative (EL3) was held on 14 December 2023.

The second ECEC Roundtable for the Early Learning for Three Year Olds initiative (EL3) was held on 1 July 2024 in Campbell Town. Thank you to Ernst & Young for facilitating this Roundtable.

EL3 Roundtables will be held quarterly through 2024. Following each roundtable, presentation notes and summaries will be provided here:

• ECEC Roundtable Presentation 1 July 2024 – Presentation PPT Slides (PDF, 3.08MB)
• EL3 ECEC Roundtable 14 December 2023 – Presentation PPT Slides (PDF, 1.35 MB)
• EL3 ECEC Roundtable – Summary of Discussion Questions and Feedback (14 December 2023) (PDF, 227kB)

Development and implementation of the EL3 initiative is guided by the phases of a co-design process:

• Phase 1 – Start up and engage, define and discover
• Phase 2 – Gather, explore and connect
• Phase 3 – Understand, imagine and create
• Phase 4 – Test, evaluate, refine and review

During 2023, EL3 completed Phase 1, 2 and 3 of the co-design process and commenced Phase 4.

A Co-Design Planning Group, with ECEC, Independent, and Catholic sector representatives provided advice and guidance throughout Phases 1-3.

In September 2023, the Co-Design Planning Group was re-convened as the EL3 Advisory Group to provide advice and guidance for Phase 4 of the project.

In September and October 2023, Local Enabling Groups (LEGs) were established in each of the trial site communities where ECEC services, families and community representatives have worked together on the design of potential service models to test in communities from 2024.

In December 2023, the first Roundtable was held with ECEC providers and these will continue during 2024 to support development and implementation of the project.

With broad community engagement including over 60 community workshops and Local Enabling Group (LEG) meetings held in 2023, we are actively working towards establishing the EL3 trial sites throughout 2024.

In addition, DECYP are conducting a Research and Development Project in 2024. This project will focus on exploring the barriers and supports required to build the ECEC sector’s capacity to provide access to early learning for three year olds across Tasmania now and into the future. It will primarily focus on sector engagement in Hobart and Launceston, whilst also considering broader barriers and opportunities for all ECEC services across Tasmania.

Guided by the EL3 Advisory Group the trial sites are being co-designed by each community to tailor the services to each individual community’s needs. DECYP will continue this work based on recommendations from community LEGs and in partnership with ECEC services, the Independent and Catholic education sector, and other key early years services.

Communities that are working together to establish EL3 Trial Sites are:

• St Helens, St Marys, Beaumaris, Scamander, Fingal, with possible outreach to Coles Bay and/or Glamorgan-Spring Bay (Break O’Day LGA, Glamorgan-Spring Bay LGA)
• East Devonport (Devonport City LGA)
• Flinders Island and Cape Barren Island (Flinders LGA)
• Bruny Island (Kingborough LGA)
• Queenstown, Strahan, Zeehan and Rosebery (West Coast LGA)

Guided by the Advisory Group and from ongoing input from the LEGs the Trial sites will  commence to test the EL3 service models following the completion of the following process and project milestones.

A summary of key implementation steps and current activities is below:

Ongoing engagement and communication will occur in 2024:

• ECEC services
  • 4 Roundtables with the ECEC sector to be held across the state face to face – dates to be confirmed with Early Childhood Australia – Tasmanian Branch
  • Regular Communiques to the ECEC sector to be cirulated by  the Education and Care Unit
  • Regular updates to this web page
  • EL3 Advisory Group  Meetings every 6 weeks
• Community, parents, and early learning  services and supports
  • LEG meetings  every 6-8 weeks
  • Regular Communiques
  • Community Inclusion Worker in  in each trial site community to be providing updates locally

* EL3 complements the Working Together initiative which supports children and families who may need additional assistance