Project Background
Save the Children started their Multicultural Supported Playgroups in response to a lack of services to support newly arrived migrant and refugee families with children aged 0-5 years.
Migrant and refugee children and families often feel isolated when they arrive in Australia and many children have experienced loss and trauma. Some struggle to adjust to life in a new country, where their social community and learning environments are very different to their country of origin.
Like all children they need support to help them learn and develop. Local schools in the areas where our Multicultural Supported Playgroups run, noticed that children from migrant backgrounds were not as ready for school. Save the Children were asked by communities to help form better pathways for these children and their families.
Project Overview:
In Term 3 & 4 2017, Multicultural Supported Playgroups were run in multiple neighbourhoods Australia wide with participants from more than 15 different cultural backgrounds including the conflict affected countries of Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, Myanmar, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan.
With the $30 000 from Footprints the Multicultural Supported Playgroups Bus ran for terms 3 & 4 in a remote WA location.
Each term 12 mothers and 24 children were driven to the program at multiple locations five times a week plus school holiday activities. Without this bus these mothers and children would not have been able to access the program due to cultural reasons, no local transport, and/or too many children to manage on public transport.
Project Outcomes:
The practical skills based workshops the Australian Department of Social Services run in conjunction with Save the Children continued to be a success this term with many mothers, caregivers and older siblings participating in how to sew classes and English lessons.
Some parents had mentioned the isolation of being a new immigrant and was the hardest issue in arriving in Australia so Save the Children are planning to teach these life skills lessons with more frequency so participants feel closer and more a part of their community.
Parents and caregivers also participated in the lessons run by the Family Support Worker to learn about parenting in the Australian context.
Many parents reported that they felt more confident in being able to support their children in being able to start school and felt being closer to other parents/caregivers who had similar background and had dealt with similar issues in transitioning into Australian life.
Project Background
Migrant and refugee children and families often feel isolated when they arrive in Australia. Many children have experienced loss and trauma. Some struggle to adjust to life in a new country, where their social, community and learning environments are very different to their country of origin. Like all children, they need support to help them learn and develop.
Save the Children started their Multicultural Supported Playgroups in response to a lack of services to support newly arrived migrant and refugee families with children aged 0-5 years.
Funding for this project will help to enable Save the Children to continue the running of the Multicultural Supported Playgroups Bus, meaning that families and children in remote areas can access the program and ensure the children are ready to transition to school.
Program Overview
The Multicultural Supported Playgroups run every week in multiple neighbourhoods Australia wide to families from more than 15 different cultural backgrounds, including the conflict affected countries of Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, Myanmar, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan.
An Early Childhood worker, a Bicultural Early childhood assistant and a Family Support Worker provide children with fun and educational activities. Parents are provided with advice, skills, links and referrals to other community services.
The playgroup sessions during school terms are complimented by a toy library which enables the families to have access to numerous early learning toys and resources.
Project Objectives
The Save the Children Multicultural Supported Playgroups aims to:
- Provide a safe and supportive environment where parents can learn about parenting in the Australian context.
- Increase parents’ confidence to support their children’s development and therefore parents and children are more prepared when they go to school for the first time;
- Make parents feel less isolated and through meeting other families in similar circumstances; they feel closer and more a part of their community
- Provide families with access to other services they need including language lessons, health services and counselling
Key Project Outcomes
- Greater number of children are literate, numerate and school ready at the end of kindergarten.
- Children are being taught how to read and write in a culturally sensitive nurturing environment.
- Kindergarten teachers, parents and education leaders have increased understanding of the learning and development needs of children in early childhood.
- Parents feel less isolated and feel part of a community that they trust.
- Parents have access to other services they may need to thrive in Australia.
Project Partners and Community Involvement
Local schools in the areas our Multicultural Supported Playgroups are run have noticed that children from migrant backgrounds were not as ready for school and Save the Children have been asked by communities and education leaders to help form better pathways for these children and their families. The project is run in conjunction with local community services, including the Australian Department of Social Services, which give mothers access to practical skills workshops such as sewing, life skills and English lessons.
Mothers and older siblings can also participate life skills activities designed to improve their resilience, knowledge and build self-confidence.
How This Project Fits Into a Larger Strategy
The project forms a key component of Save the Children’s Education Strategy - that every child has the right to education. We work to ensure parents feel supported and see the importance of being involved with their children education and the role they play in a child’s successful transition to school.