What is it?
Early Childhood-Invest to Grow supports early childhood programs and resources. Its aim is to contribute to improved outcomes for young children and to build the Australian evidence base about what works in prevention and early intervention in early childhood.
Invest to Grow also supports the development of tools and resource materials for use by families, professionals and communities supporting families and young children.
Child Care Links has been a part of Invest to Grow since 1 July 2006. Child Care Links uses child care centres and other community services in disadvantaged areas as community hubs to link families with young children to local support services and to strengthen community networks. The aim of Child Care Links is to improve the health and wellbeing of young children by strengthening the resilience of their caregivers, using early childhood and other community services to foster the development of child-friendly communities.
Why are we doing this?
Australian and international research confirms the critical development that takes place during the first few years of life, and where required, the real and positive effect appropriate interventions can have on a child's future.
How does it work?
Invest to Grow funds a range of successful established and developing early childhood intervention programs. Funding over the period 2004-08 has enabled projects to be further developed and evaluated to assess their effectiveness in achieving outcomes for young children, their families and communities. In 2008-09 an extension of funding was provided for projects while the Government considered the longer term direction of its parenting programs.
In May 2009 a further two years funding from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2011 was announced to enable programs, such as Invest to Grow and Child Care Links, to transition to the new Family Support Program.
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Funded Programs
| Organisation |
Program |
| Access Macquarie Ltd and StaR Inclusive Early Childhood Education Association |
Special Teaching and Research (StaR) Inclusive Early Childhood Project |
| Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors |
Good Food for New Arrivals |
| Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) |
Building Blocks® Early Intervention Service |
| Children's Protection Society |
"I'm a Dad" Program |
| Good Beginnings Australia Limited |
National Parenting and Early Childhood Program |
| Key Centre for Women's Health in Society, School of Population Health, The University of Melbourne |
Mothers, Fathers and Newborns: Preventing Distress and Promoting Confidence Program |
| KU Children's Services |
Early Language and Literacy Initiative |
| Kurrajong Waratah |
Rural Beginnings |
| Lifeline Community Care |
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy |
| Phoenix House Association Incorporated |
BumbleBees Therapeutic Pre-School |
| Playgroup Association of Queensland Inc |
Sing and Grow |
| Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children |
RIDBC Teleschool Project |
| School for Social and Policy Research, Charles Darwin University |
Let's Start: Exploring Together for Indigenous Preschools Project |
| St Giles Society Inc |
Vital Early Years Therapy and Family Support Program |
| The Benevolent Society |
Partnerships in Early Childhood |
| The Lady Gowrie Child Centre Inc |
Through the Looking Glass - A Community Partnership in Parenting Project |
| The Parenting Research Centre Inc |
Healthy Start Project |
| Youth and Family Education Resources Pty Ltd |
Core of Life's - Pregnancy, Birth, Breastfeeding and Early Parenting Program |
Funded Tools and Resources
| Organisation |
Resource |
| Australian Childhood Foundation |
Every Child is Important Program |
| Australian Institute of Family Studies - Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia (CAFCA). CAFCA website - see www.aifs.gov.au/cafca |
Information and advice in the fields of early intervention and childhood development |
|
Raising Children Network (Australia) Limited
RCN website - see: http://raisingchildren.net.au |
Parenting Information Website |
|
Secretariat for National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC): SNAICC Resource Service.
SNAICC website - see: http://srs.snaicc.asn.au |
National Indigenous Child, Family, Community and Organisation Resource Service. |
Relationship to Other Funding
Early Childhood - Invest to Grow was formerly part of the former Stronger Families and Communities Strategy. The Stronger Families and Communities Strategy (SFCS) previously funded two other streams:
Information is available on SFCS Evaluation, Publications and Support.