This year, the Department of Education’s Victorian Early Years Awards (VEYA) are celebrating 20 years of recognising the outstanding work of early years professionals to improve the health, learning, development and wellbeing of Victorian children and their families.
Nominate yourself, a colleague, an early childhood professional, a service or an organisation that has demonstrated leadership, outstanding achievement, or innovation.
Eligible organisations include early childhood services, local government services, community organisations, health services, disability services, and more.
The 9 award categories are:
Winners of each category will receive a grant of $15,000 for professional development or to support their early years initiative. The finalists in each category are also eligible to win the prestigious Minister’s Award, selected by the Minister for Children.
Nominations close 5 pm, Thursday 12 June 2025. Visit vic.gov.au/victorian-early-years-awards to nominate now.
Nomination Writing Support
There are supports available to help you write the best possible nomination. Supports include:
Learn more at vic.gov.au/victorian-early-years-awards-nomination-guide#free-nomination-writing-assistance.
Questions about nominations?
Email the Victorian Early Years Awards team at early.years.awards@education.vic.gov.au.
fka Children’s Services is pleased to share the latest episode of Early Childhood Australia’s (ECA) Podcast Series, featuring our own Ashley Howden, Manager of Social Inclusion Pedagogy and Practice.
In this episode, Ashley Howden and Kelly Brand (Foundation House) discuss how early childhood professionals can support building and maintaining relationships with multilingual families when engaging in Victoria’s Child Information Sharing Scheme. Their insights provide practical guidance for fostering inclusivity and culturally responsive practices.
Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on navigating information sharing with empathy and equity.
Listen now on Spotify, Amazon Music or Apple Podcasts.
Welcome to the first fkaCS eNewsletter of 2025.
We’re excited to share updates, insights, and resources to support your work with children, families, and communities.
In this edition, we explore how to develop a meaningful approach to celebrating and acknowledging days of significance and how to be an active and supportive bystander in an early childhood education environment.
Are you looking for a new opportunity to share your vision for high-quality, inclusive early childhood education? fka Children’s Services is seeking two new Board members. Learn more about these openings and consider joining our Board!
As we look towards Term 2, we continue to work collectively to deepen our shared commitment to cultural inclusion and belonging in early childhood education.
Thank you for taking this journey with us.
Contents
Welcome to the final Members eNews for 2024!
In this issue, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our new website and free eLearning Series: Engaging with Multilingual Families about Kindergarten. In this edition’s feature article, we explore creating a Multilingual Ecology in Early Childhood that fosters linguistic diversity and awareness.
To support you in exploring Christmas we look at resources available in the Multicultural Resource Centre that encourage reflection about how Christmas
is ‘celebrated’, and how global traditions influenced the ways families and colleagues at your service mark the occasion.
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