Early Years Education Program (EYEP)™

EYEP was initiated by Kids First, previously the Children’s Protection Society (CPS), an independent not-for-profit child and family services organisation based in the north-east of Melbourne which was founded in 1896. The program was designed and implemented by CPS in collaboration with Associate Professor Brigid Jordan and Dr Anne Kennedy.

For six years, Kids First trialled a unique Early Years Education Program (EYEP)™ at our West Heidelberg Children’s Centre.

The EYEP™ was designed to support the emotional, social and cognitive development of children who had experienced acute disadvantage, including living with significant family stress and at heightened risk of, or having experienced, abuse or neglect. Its overarching goal was for vulnerable infants and young children to commence school developmentally equal to their peers, and with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed for ongoing successful learning.

The program had a dual focus: firstly, addressing the consequences of significant family stress on children’s brain development and emotional and behavioural regulation; and secondly, redressing learning deficiencies.

The EYEP involved direct intervention with children to address their identified needs, reverse developmental delays, and reduce the impact of risk factors and adverse events. The program sought to build children’s cognitive and non-cognitive skills recognising the critical role that both types of skills play in subsequent development and lifetime outcomes.

Ranging from infants under 6 months through to 4-year-olds, the children who participated in EYEP™ were offered three years of care and education (50 weeks per year, five hours per day each week). Key features of EYEP™ were high staff/child ratios, qualified and experienced staff, inclusion of an infant mental health consultant as a member of the staff, and a rigorously developed curriculum.

Unique features of the EYEP™

The EYEP™ was unique in the Australian early years context. Features included:
• high staff/child ratios
• diploma qualified staff
• enriched care giving
• high quality curriculum based education based on the new National Early Year Learning Frameworks
• integration with Family Support/Child Protection services
• a strong focus on building partnerships with parents to sustain their child’s participation in the program.

Participation in EYEP™ lasted for a minimum of three years or until a child reached school age.

The Heidelberg West Centre was twice awarded the coveted ‘Excellent’ rating by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). At the time, it was the first and only early learning service in Victoria to be re-awarded the benchmark and one of only 52 services across Australia (out of 13,500 rated centres).

While the Centre was closed in 2018, its legacy continues to expand through the streams of research that have been conducted around the EYEP.

Randomised Controlled Trial

An independent randomised control trial, the first of its kind in Australia, was conducted by the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children’s Research Centre alongside EYEP™’s delivery. The Australian Research Council (ARC) funded a three-year study to provide insights into the developmental and social outcomes from providing high quality intensive early education and care to vulnerable children.

Large positive impacts of EYEP were found on children’s cognitive and non-cognitive development – primarily IQ, protective factors related to resilience and social-emotional development. There was also evidence that EYEP™ improved children’s language skills and lowered the psychological distress of their primary caregivers.

Read the Research reports

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Participants in the Trial of the Early Years Education Program™ (2017)

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The first twelve months in the Early Years Education Program™: An initial assessment of the impact on children and their primary caregivers (2018)

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24 months in the Early Years Education Program™: Assessment of the impact on children and their primary caregivers (2019)

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Qualitative Study

Charles Sturt University was engaged by Kids First to undertake a qualitative research study of the relationship pedagogy of Kids First pioneering EYEP™.

The purpose of the ethnographic study was to examine the relationships and lived experiences of all EYEP participants (children, parents and staff), as well as describe, translate and disseminate the day to day activities of the education and care model.

Early Years Education Program (EYEP)™

Research project