Around 65,000 prep students across Victoria will receive a bag of five free books as part of a student literacy initiative under Jacinta Allan’s Labor Government.
This program aims to foster a love of reading and support the development of children’s literacy skills from their very first year at school. A panel of experts have carefully selected the books for their engaging stories, and appeal to young students.
The book packs will include:
- Chooks in Dinner Suits – written by Diane Jackson Hill and illustrated by Craig Smith
- The Concrete Garden – written and illustrated by Bob Graham
- Frank’s Red Hat – written and illustrated by Sean E Avery
- The Bin Monster – written by Annabelle Hale
- Sharing – written by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson and illustrated by Leanne Mulgo Watson
To ensure accessibility, the books will also come in a braille format with tactile illustrations.
The Centre welcomes this program, with CEO Deb Tsorbaris saying: “This is a great initiative, effectively democratising reading, by giving every child coming into prep next year an opportunity to learn the fun and learning that can come from reading, including access to a First Nations book”.
This builds on the 2019 Books in Bags scheme, which has gifted more than 2.2 million books to young children across Victoria.
By providing high-quality and accessible resources for literacy development, this program is helping to create an equal platform for all young children to support their education.
The Victorian Government will overhaul child safety and the regulation of early childhood education and care that will put child safety at the centre of every decision and rebuild trust in the sector.
On 2 July 2025, the Premier commissioned an independent Rapid Child Safety Review (the Review) in response to distressing allegations of abuse in childcare centres.
The Review, led by Mr Jay Weatherill AO and Ms Pam White PSM, has identified key actions for government to take to improve child safety – including actions Victoria can take to accelerate the child-safety reforms being considered nationally.
The Victorian Government accepts and will act urgently to implement all 22 recommendations of the Review to strengthen safety standards in early childhood education and care, to keep Victorian children safe. Read here
New data from the latest Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) indicates that close to half of children entering school in 2024 were developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains.
The census data was collected from 16,723 teachers and more than 288,000 children across 7,368 Australian schools. It found that only 52.9% of children in this age-bracket are on track to meet key developmental milestones by the time they start school, with the remainder falling behind.
Children with a background other than English, children in remote and rural areas, and children experiencing poverty experienced greater developmental vulnerability, while the percentage of First Nations children developmentally on track also experienced a decline.
New data from the latest Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) indicates that close to half of children entering school in 2024 were developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains. The census data […]
Check out the attached link to flyer for the range of activities on offer. These include excursions, incursions and in-house fun. Contact details for bookings on flyer and website.
On February 5th 2025 the Australian Government introduced legislation to give children access to 3 days a week of subsided early childhood education and care.
Should legislation pass, from next year families can get at least 72 subsidised hours of care each fortnight for each child. This is regardless of how much work, training, study or volunteering they do. Families caring for First Nations children will get 100 hours of subsidised care each fortnight for each child.
More information for families and child care providers will be developed and distributed in the coming months.