Ready Set Preschool - Targeted Funding
Ready Set Preschool (formerly Outreach) is a targeted funding program designed to support Partner Services to reduce barriers to preschool enrolment and attendance for children in areas of socio-economic disadvantage. Reducing barriers to enrolment should be focussed on priority cohorts as outlined in the Priority of Access categories 1 and 2.
As part of the Ready Set Preschool program, additional centrally commissioned engagement supports will be introduced to help children and families who are not currently connected to early childhood education and care, enrol in and attend preschool.
These supports are designed to work alongside services by strengthening pathways into preschool, supporting early engagement and participation where additional assistance is needed.
Eligibility
From 2027, all SEIFA 1 and 2 Services will receive an allocation of Ready Set Preschool funding to support cohort-level planning and to deliver supports and activities that strengthen family engagement and connection to preschool and reduce practical barriers that prevent children from enrolling in and attending preschool.
All SEIFA 1 and 2 Partner Services will be notified of their following years’ annual Ready Set Preschool funding allocation in advance, giving them up to 6 months to plan how they will use their Ready Set Preschool funding.
Partnership Plan inclusion
SEIFA 1 and 2 Partner Services are required to plan for how they will use Ready Set Preschool funding (including Preschool Plus Ready Set Preschool funding) aligned to strategic goals identified through the Partnership Plan.
SEIFA 3 – 5 Services with Preschool Plus enrolments are not required to plan how Preschool Plus Ready Set Preschool funding will be used via the Partnership Plan.
Spending rules
A majority of Ready Set Preschool funding should be directed towards Indirect Cost Reduction activities that provide practical supports to reduce barriers to preschool enrolment and attendance. Funding may also be used for Community Connection activities that strengthen family engagement, support the enrolment of priority cohorts and encourage regular preschool attendance.
Supports may be universal, targeted to a priority cohort, or provided to an individual family where they are reasonably intended to remove barriers to preschool enrolment or attendance and align with the approved Partnership Plan. In some circumstances, supports may be provided universally to support discreet access and reduce stigma.
Services are encouraged to set aside a portion of their allocation to respond to urgent or changing family circumstances as they arise. This should be indicated in the Partnership Plan as a flexible allocation of funds.
Where Services are part of a larger provider organisation, up to 50% of total funding allocation may be pooled across services within the same Provider to support coordinated delivery and purchasing efficiencies and reduce administrative burden on its services (excluding Ready Set Preschool allocations for Preschool Plus).
A contribution towards staffing cost, including coordination of services, administration and staff time required to plan and deliver Ready Set Preschool activities, is an allowable expense where it supports delivery of approved indirect cost reduction and community connection activities, including supporting children and families to enrol in and attend preschool. However, expenditure must not compromise the primary intent of the funding, which is to prioritise activities that reduce attendance barriers and directly benefit children and families.
Allowable expenditure
Ready Set Preschool funding can only be spent on:
- Indirect Cost Reduction activities that provide practical supports to reduce barriers to preschool enrolment and attendance; and
- Community Connection activities that strengthen family engagement, enrolment of priority cohorts and ongoing attendance.
Indirect Cost Reduction
Indirect Cost Reduction provides practical supports that reduce barriers to preschool enrolment and attendance. Supports may be universal, targeted to a priority cohort or provided to an individual family where they are reasonably intended to remove identified participation barriers. It is not intended to be a substitute for family income, but to provide practical support for low-cost items that enable preschool participation. Refer to the Ready Set Preschool Funding Categories for further spending rules and examples.
| Category | Spending rules |
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Community connection
Funding can also be used to deliver community connection activities that strengthen family engagement, support the enrolment of priority cohorts and encourage regular preschool attendance. Refer to the Ready Set Preschool Funding Categories and Examples for further spending rules and examples.
Program reporting
Partner Services that receive Ready Set Preschool funding will be required to participate in reporting processes as determined by the OECD. Reporting may include information on how funding has been used and how activities have supported goals identified in the Partnership Plan in relation to preschool participation for children who may have otherwise encountered barriers to enrolment/attendance.
Partner Providers and Services must maintain records, including receipts for all related purchases, to support reporting and acquittal requirements.
Expenditure should be recorded in a register that captures the expenditure item, category, who it benefited (e.g. all children or a particular child/family), amount and date. This register can be in any form, at the discretion of the Partner Provider. Records must be retained for a minimum of 7 years.
Ready Set Preschool funding will need to be accounted for in the service-level annual financial acquittal.