Yooralla partners with DET to offer extra support to children with disability at kinder
Yooralla has been appointed by the Department of Education and Training (DET) to manage a new trial to support children with additional needs in early childhood.
Jenifer Morris-Cosgriff, Yooralla’s Senior Group Manager, Community Services, says that the objective of the Specialised Equipment Trial (SET) is to enable greater inclusion of children with disability to participate in a Victorian Government funded kindergarten program.
“The early childhood education and care sector continues to be responsible for meeting the education and care needs of children with a development delay or disability.
“Currently, the NDIS funds specialised equipment for use at home and in the community, but not in education and care settings,” says Jenifer.
The SET is a new element of the Kindergarten Inclusion Support (KIS) program, which is funded by DET and offered through Yooralla.
“The KIS SET will allow children with disability to access, participate and achieve positive learning outcomes, alongside their typically developing peers,” says Jenifer.
The specialised equipment under the KIS SET will be available for loan at no cost to approved Victorian Government funded kindergarten programs and will operate under the KIS SET Guidelines.
Specialised equipment available from Yooralla’s KIS SET may include:
- change tables
- toilet seats or steps
- potty chairs
- mobile stools
- hoists and slings
- harnesses and seating or posture aids, and
- standing frames to allow a child with high physical needs to participate in activities in a kindergarten program.
Jenifer says that kindergarten services can submit a loan request application to Yooralla at any point during the kindergarten year.
“Yooralla is looking forward to working with kindergartens to support children with disability and to enhance their learning and development,” she says.
The KIS SET will operate during the 2021/22 kindergarten years.
To learn more about the KIS SET, read the Frequently Asked Questions.
More information is also available on the DET website.
Yooralla’s Specialist Equipment team can also be contacted directly via KISSpecialistEquipment@yooralla.com.au or 5990 9672.