Can:Do 4Kids delivers a speech pathology service for preschools focused on strengthening educator capability and increasing children’s participation across communication, language, and early literacy. The service supports preschools to create communication rich environments where all children can engage in daily routines, play, and learning.

The service supports participation when children need additional help to:

• understand and follow instructions during routines, transitions, and group learning
• share needs, ideas, and emotions using spoken, visual, or multimodal communication
• sustain attention and listening in play and learning activities
• join, maintain, and repair peer interactions
• be understood in busy classroom environments
• build vocabulary, narrative skills, and early literacy foundations

Recognising that communication underpins participation, relationships, and learning, Can:Do 4Kids uses a strengths based, routines focused approach. Speech pathology strategies are embedded into everyday preschool routines including arrivals, transitions, group times, play, mealtimes, outdoor learning, shared reading, and social problem solving.

The service builds expressive and receptive language, speech clarity, social communication, and early literacy while supporting educators through modelling, coaching, and co designed strategies that embed communication support into routines and curriculum delivery.

Expected outcomes for this program are:

• improved understanding of communication development to recognise communication delays and their impact on learning, behaviour and peer interactions.
• Strengthen communication focussed strategies through visual supports, modelling, scaffolding and embedding communication goals into everyday play and routines.
• Build educator capability and confidence to support diverse communication and learning needs through inclusive, language rich practices.

The speech pathology service is delivered through a flexible model, tailored to each service’s context, priorities, and cohort needs, with a strong focus on minimising additional workload for educators.

The service is delivered over 5 to 10 one?hour onsite sessions, with hybrid options where appropriate. Support includes Tier 1 universal strategies for whole groups and Tier 2 targeted strategies for priority cohorts, aligned with Preschool Boost requirements.

Speech pathologists work alongside educators within the natural flow of the preschool day, focusing on routines such as arrival, transitions, group learning, indoor and outdoor play, mealtimes, pack up, and classroom responsibilities. Children are not withdrawn for therapy instead, strategies are embedded into existing routines so participation is supported across the day.

Delivery includes routines?based observation and collaborative planning, short co?taught group activities, in?class educator coaching, and environmental and curriculum adjustments. Practical tools such as routine specific communication plans, visual supports, planning guides for language rich play invitations, simple data tools for tracking and checklists to support educator reflection remain with the service to support ongoing use.

Progress is monitored using routine?level indicators aligned to AEDC domains. Supports are adjusted or faded as educator confidence and capability increase, ensuring benefits continue beyond the service delivery period

Cost: $195 per hour (ex GST). Delivered in blocks of 5 or 10 one?hour sessions. Tier 1 or Tier 2 programs cost $975 for 5 sessions or $1,950 for 10 sessions (ex GST). Travel is charged at $195 per hour based on travel time from the nearest hub. No planned price increase for 2027.