Julie McInnes:  Small communities like this, play centres, it is all they have.

Petrea Smith: In South Australia, schools and preschools across a region of the state are grouped together. The Lower Mid North Partnership covers both the Wakefield Region and Gilbert and Valley Region.

Cassie Hellier: Early intervention for children is really important.

Petrea Smith: The data showed that children were almost double the likelihood compared to the national average to be developmentally vulnerable in two domains or more. Spelt out in figures like that, it’s a big concern, big motivator for change.

Neil White: The areas that we saw that were going to be particularly important were connections with families and engagement with the community, and that's why we thought playgroups was the way to go.

Cassie Hellier: They had about 24 families show up to that first play group.

Neil White: Playgroups have always existed in some form, but the supported playgroups enabled that structure to be clearer and have more focused outcomes.

Petrea Smith: The Lower Mid North Partnership funded each preschool to pay a person to be the playgroup coordinator. Training for that person, a mentor. A key aspect, they would be supporting parents.

Julie McInnes: Pointing out the learning. They didn't know that Play-do could develop the child holistically. It's not just strengthening the muscles in your hands, it's actually that opportunity for beautiful language development and things like that.

Cassie Hellier: It comes one week at Riverton and one week at Saddleworth, and we found that that was the best way to get the most for all the families. Families actually value having someone who's qualified to give them the advice that they need.

Dale Gathercole:  The preschools decided that to support the journey in numeracy and literacy strengthening across our partnership that we would have a combined focus on dispositions such as curiosity and problem solving.

Parent: It's good. We just get to interact with them differently than what we would at home, and so we can just take away some different things, singing songs and different games.

Cassie Hellier: Parents having great social skills is really important for children to learn great social skills too.

Parent: It's good for the mums too. We'll get to have a chat, and sometimes you don't really get to get out and have a chat when you have kids at home, so good for everyone.

Petrea Smith: If families are on the move and transient, educators sometimes are too. The consistency of data really helps to get a handle on the people that you're working with and the families you're supporting.

Cassie Hellier: Over the time we’ve been running playgroup there's been several referrals to the OT, to speechies, to Healthy Families.

Dale Gathercole: It's very empowering because it's not just you reacting to what you're seeing and feeling, but you actually do have this actual data that you can track. The supported playgroups focus enabled us to offer a nature play group off site. Council picked that up. They won a grant using our vision. So that became a key strategy for us.

Petrea Smith: The difference between the 2015 data and the 2018 showed that there was an improvement across all domains, so this is a great source of encouragement to us in continuing this supported play group project.

Dale Gathercole: It's just such a wonderful thing to be part of that and try and make a difference for your local community and see those children grow. And that's really what it's all about.

[End of transcript]

Amie Johnson: We cover 17 towns, the entire Mid Murray region. The AEDC data showed quiet a shocking picture I think for a lot of people. One in three children were classified as developmentally vulnerable on two or more domains.

Kylie Eggers: 10 or so years ago they did a mapping exercise of our data and realised that there are a lot of gaps and services in our town. We're just outside Murray Bridge, we're just outside the Barossa, we're just outside the Riverland, and so there was a very distinct gap.

John Robertson: This was a real catalyst and wake up call.

Amie Johnson: The initial idea was that Council would invest some staff time to start pulling things together, connecting the threads, you know, building those networks, strategic leaders. It was a really good starting point for council to have a look at what can we do? Who can we pull together? And start building a bit more holistic approach to children and families in our region. We have a network of about 60 partners. We had to choose a starting point. Where would the biggest impact be? So, emotional maturity was chosen by the network because we thought it would filter into those other domains, and because we know that well-being wraps around everything. I remember John Robertson, the Principal of Swan Reach, saying to me, “If they arrive at school when they haven't had breakfast, they haven't slept, unless we address those things, how do we teach them English and Maths?”

Kristy Castle: When I was first introduced to Mid Murray Family Connections. It was a call for mothers, parents or carers to start a Facebook group “Mid Murray Mums”, which it became known as. There were so many kids that weren't quite where they should be to be ready for school. It was crucial to sort of get in there early.

Amie Johnson: There was a big push around the importance of preschool. Parent Child Mother Goose was introduced, which is as you know a preschool learning program.

John Robertson: Swan Reach Area School is a Preschool to Year 12. Sixty three students. Reasonably isolated. It was necessary to put well-being front and centre. Part of the agreement there was that the schools would take on the primary "Kids Matter” preschool, and “Mind Matters” secondary.

Kylie Eggers: The Mannum Way for us, it's a Reception to 12 process of how we can engage. Do as you would to others. Do your best, no matter who you're working with. It takes great strength to be sensible. Those sort of things.

Amie Johnson: So, there's quite a list. Supporting maternal health, connecting child and family health services to towns further out in the region, raising the awareness of the impacts of family violence.

Kylie Eggers: We really want to know where they're at when they first come to us, so that we can build on their strengths, build on what they need working on, and work with their families to ensure that they've got everything they need. The AEDC data is instrumental in making sure that we know where our students are at. For students who are not achieving, say, in their phonics assessment, have they had their hearing checked? We have a lot more conversations with the kindy about who's coming and what they can do, what they need support with, what the family is like and what supports they need.

John Robertson: So Mid Murray Family Connections have been a massive advocate to get these services out. You have CAMHS coming here on occasions. CAFHS now come here. So these services weren't, one seen as needed, perhaps two, known about.

Kristy Castle: The core of the time that I've been involved between the 2015 and the 2018 data, it continued to improve, and I was so impressed because I felt, I felt like what we were doing was actually making a difference.

Amie Johnson: We've worked out four focus areas. Children and caregivers share secure attachment. Children are emotionally resilient. Children are engaged learners, and children and caregivers are safe and supported. We use a community accountability plan that's put together with the whole network, which has got actions moving forward. We then review that plan and look at the new lot of data, look at the community stories.

Kylie Eggers: We know that there's been success because the data is improving over time, and so therefore the students are coming to school more school ready. Parents are coming to us to ask more about what psychological services, what parenting services, what financial support services?

Kristy Castle: If you get the right infographics and the right data to the right people, it just sets off a bit of a chain reaction.

Amie Johnson: What we found is it's been great having an invested position to help keep moving things forward. What it does do is it helps us advocate. It shows the need. This is what my community are telling me and this is what the data is showing. Moving forward we'll assess again. I'm looking forward to the next lot of data.

[End of transcript]

Access the AEDC professional learning program on plink, the Department for Education's professional learning platform.

This program is tailored for early childhood education and schools.

The program will give you a deeper understanding of the AEDC and demonstrates how to use the data to support children’s development in your programs, policies, planning and partnerships.

The program is made up of 4 modules and takes about 1.5 hours to complete.