The aim of the Flexible Initiatives Trial is to make ECEC services more accessible and flexible for families in NSW, particularly for those who need it the most. The trial also focuses on supporting ECEC educators and gathering evidence for future improvements.
The Flexible Initiatives Trial will empower early childhood education and care providers to better cater for the needs of local families and increase the availability of places for children in New South Wales where and when they are needed most. The program has a total pool of $20 million from the Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund.
The Program operates under 2 streams:
Stream 1 - Flexible service delivery
Stream 2 - Blended service delivery
The key objectives of the program are to:
increase accessibility of ECEC for families who need more flexible options, including an increase in the number of available places
increase participation, particularly of women, in work and/or study, which is enabled by increased access to ECEC services
increase service providers’ knowledge of local flexibility needs and their capacity to meet those needs
provide appropriate support and working conditions for educators delivering flexible models
develop an evidence base for successful flexible models to inform future program development.
There are two rounds of funding available for this trial program they are:
Round 1 | OPENS: 28 September 2023 CLOSES: 1 December 2023 at 5.00PM AEDT
Round 2 | OPENS: 1 March 2024 CLOSES:1 May 2024 at 5.00pm AEST