fka Children’s Services (fkaCS) invites Victorian early childhood professionals, services, and organisations to join our association for the 2025–26 membership year and be part of a commitment to advancing equity, belonging, and the cultural and linguistic rights of all children.
“Our members are educators, leaders and organisations who are committed to responsive, high-quality early childhood education, education that upholds every child’s right to identity, language and culture. They strive to create early learning environments where all children and families feel seen, valued and included,” Melodie Davies, Executive Director, fkaCS.
For over a century, fkaCS has worked in partnership with the early childhood education and care sector to uphold every child’s right to feel safe, respected, and represented in their earliest learning environments. As a proud Victorian not-for-profit organisation, we are deeply committed to supporting educators, leaders and services to embed culturally responsive, rights-based practice that reflects the strengths and diversity of children, families, and communities.
By becoming a member, you join a professional community dedicated to:
Member Benefits
As a member of fkaCS, you will receive:
“By becoming a member of fkaCS, you join a collective voice advocating for the rights of all children and families to fully participate in high-quality early childhood education, where their cultures, languages and identities are genuinely recognised and reflected. Together, we support and strengthen early learning services that respect, value and celebrate diversity and difference.” Melodie Davies, Executive Director, fkaCS.
Membership is now open for the 2025–26 year.
Join us in shaping a more inclusive, equitable and culturally responsive early childhood sector.
To learn more and sign up, visit: https://fka.org.au/join-our-association
Two new resources have been created in partnership with the Child Information Sharing Scheme and the Victorian Department of Education to support early childhood professionals to build and maintain collaborative relationships with multilingual families when engaging in the Child Information Sharing Scheme
Engaging multilingual families in the Child Information Sharing Scheme
The resource Engaging Multilingual Families in the Child Information Sharing Scheme is now available. It supports early childhood professionals to build trust and foster collaborative partnerships with multilingual families when engaging in Child Information Sharing.
Child Information Sharing Scheme Case Study: Engaging families who do not share your language.
A new case study, Engaging families who do not share your language, highlights practical strategies for building trust and communicating effectively with multilingual families when engaging in Child Information Sharing. This resource supports early childhood professionals to uphold children’s safety and wellbeing while fostering culturally responsive partnerships with families
The second Best Start, Best Life: Educational Leaders Conference was held on Friday 28 March 2025 and brought together more than 1,500 early childhood Educational Leaders, experts and practitioners from across the state. The conference theme was ‘Brain development and the criticality of the early years’. Resources are now publicly available on the conference website, including:
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.
Contents
