The State Government is investing more than $4 million over four years to The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program to support children facing disadvantage.

The funding boost will enable 2,800 new students to benefit from access to the evidence-based program, that supports children and young people to succeed at school, complete Year 12, and go on to work, training or further study post school.

“Right now, there are 1.2 million children and young people living in poverty. All children need support for their education, but poverty creates extra barriers for children experiencing disadvantage”, said The Smith Family General Manager SA & NT Graham Jaeshke.

“The Smith Family provides support to help children and their families overcome these obstacles and empowering them to create better futures for themselves.

“Given the scale of the need and the proven effectiveness of our Learning for Life program, the South Australian Government’s funding commitment will be transformational for thousands more children experiencing disadvantage, who will be supported throughout their school years.”

The program has seen 84 per cent of its participants, who were in Year 12 in 2020, were in work and/or further education and training,18 months after leaving school.

South Australians make up more than 10 per cent of all students currently enrolled in the program nationwide, with more than 7,000 already receiving tailored mentoring and learning support across the state.

The Smith Family works with more than 60,000 students across Australia, and with the support of the State Government, will significantly contribute to the national education charity’s ambition of reaching 100,000 students nationally on the Learning for Life program by the year 2027.

“The Smith Family’s Learning for Life scholarship provides a wonderful support to 47 students with the potential of another 45 eligible at Hackham West School”, said Hackam West School Principal Mrs Shannon Little.

“Learning for Life gives a young person experiencing disadvantage the essentials like a school uniform, bag, schoolbooks and access to excursions.

“This program provides additional support to children's education, which can be beyond the means of some families.

“For a child experiencing disadvantage it can make a world of difference to their school day – boosting their confidence and motivation to reach their full potential.”

The program enables students to access support from the beginning of their first year of primary school and continue right through to the completion of tertiary education. Learning for Life provides students support in three ways:

1. Financial assistance for core education-related expenses, including books, digital devices and uniforms.
2. A local The Smith Family Coordinator who works with the child’s family and school to encourage and support their long-term participation in education.
3. Access to a range of The Smith Family learning support and mentoring programs, including literacy and numeracy, career and post-school pathways, as well as digital and financial literacy initiatives for parents and carers.

As part of the ongoing arrangement, The Smith Family also has access to key educational data, such as attendance, achievement results shared via a department hosted dashboard and approved by participating families.

“A lot of families have found the cost-of-living crisis extremely tough”, The Smith Family Learning for Life recipient family.

“Things like new uniforms, shoes and bag, books and devices have become huge expenses for all families, but The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program gives us some breathing space financially, by helping us to afford the things our kids need for school each year.

“Learning for Life also gives our children access to a range of educational and mentoring support programs so they can keep up with their schoolwork and affords us access to a dedicated support worker at The Smith Family, who is there to provide us with tailored support when we need’, they said.