FOUR early childhood educators from Y Canberra have travelled to Perth to gain first-hand experience of the Y WA’s successful School ReadY Program, including a visit to WA’s Yappara House Early Learning Centre in South Guildford.

The visit also provided an opportunity for the team to undertake specialised training with the Y WA’s literacy specialist Renee Chakaodza, building their understanding of the evidence-informed approach that underpins School ReadY and the assessment tools used to monitor children’s development.

Developed by the Y WA, School ReadY is designed to support children aged three to five years to develop the foundational skills they need to thrive when they transition to formal schooling.

While maintaining a focus on play-based learning, the program also includes intentional teaching experiences to strengthen children’s literacy, language, social-emotional and numeracy development.

Y WA chief executive officer Dr Tim McDonald said it was exciting to see the impact of the program extending beyond Western Australia.

“School ReadY was developed to ensure children have the strongest possible foundations before they begin school, and it is incredibly rewarding to see other Y ELCs recognising the value of that work,” Dr McDonald said.

“The visit from Y Canberra demonstrates a shared commitment to improving outcomes for young children and creating opportunities for educators across Australia to learn from one another. We look forward to supporting their implementation journey and continuing to share knowledge, resources and insights.”

Ms Chakaodza said the literacy and language component of School ReadY was designed to build the critical skills children need before formal reading instruction begins.

“Early childhood is a crucial period for language development and literacy learning,” she said.

“Through purposeful, engaging and play-based experiences, School ReadY helps children develop key skills such as phonological awareness, vocabulary, listening comprehension and narrative skills. These are the building blocks that support later reading success and lifelong learning.

“It has been wonderful to welcome the Y Canberra team into our centres and share practical strategies that can help deliver positive outcomes for children across the country.”

The Canberra educators also visited the Y WA’s East Cannington and Westminster early learning centres ahead of plans to introduce the initiative across three Y ELCs later this year.

Canberra Centres introducing the School ReadY initiative are Strathnairn Early Learning Centre, who will introduce the initiative this year, and Kambah Early Learning Centre and Gungahlin Early Learning Centre, who will introduce School ReadY in 2027.