Working Together history

The aim of Working Together is to give all children an equal opportunity to access early learning.

The initiative was co-designed with:

  • Families
  • The early learning sector
  • Community services
  • Government agencies

It was first piloted in 2019 as Working Together for 3 Year Olds. The pilot saw 55 children enrolled across 10 Tasmanian early learning centres. 

An independent evaluation reported the pilot achieved positive outcomes for the children involved. There were also encouraging results for the families and early learning centres that took part. Another report highlighted the effectiveness of the initiative in preparing children for school.

Following the success of the pilot, the initiative expanded from 2020 to 2022. This saw 120 places offered each year across 19 early learning centres.

Registrations are now open for 2023, with 120 places available. 

Our early learning partners are integral to the delivery of Working Together. They ensure the best outcomes for the children and families involved.

A story of change

A little girl with her toys.

“I’ve seen impacts on the way my child is thinking and talking. Meika’s* thinking is a lot more open and you can just tell she’s growing up to be this clever little one. You can see it happening in front of you. It’s wonderful to see, it’s been great. I feel like she’s found her little self.

The educators helped so much with that. They listen, they’re patient, and they can talk at Meika’s level really well. They’ve allowed Meika to show herself, they’ve accepted her.

Coming here to day care has helped with that consistency for Meika, it’s reinforced that. I can’t explain the difference between before and now. It’s like going from chaos to living a normal child’s life. For the whole family. Going to school, going to day care. Making sure I’m picking them up at the same time every day. I think that’s really helped.

What happens now will impact their life so much when they get older, and the choices that they make. It’s scary, and a lot of pressure. The situation now is so much better, there’s hard times still, but there’s great times too. There’s balance, where before there was none.

I’m so proud of where they are. From where they were to now. They’ve grown so much in such a short time. It gives me faith it’ll get even better.”

*Name has been changed to protect the child’s identity

Source: TasCOSS interviews with families from 2020

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