Dr Priscilla Clarke OAM

A Life Dedicated to Children, Families and Belonging

It is with deep sadness that fka Children’s Services acknowledges the passing of Dr Priscilla Clarke OAM, a visionary leader, scholar, advocate and dear friend of the early childhood sector.

Priscilla devoted her professional life to championing the rights of children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Through her leadership, scholarship and unwavering commitment to social justice, she transformed the way Australia understands and supports multilingual children, helping to create a more inclusive and equitable early childhood education system. Her influence extends across generations of children, educators, families and communities, and her legacy will continue to shape our work for many years to come.

As a former Director of fka Children’s Services, Priscilla played a pivotal role in the development and growth of the Multicultural Resource Centre, helping to establish it as a respected and influential leader in multicultural and multilingual early childhood education. She brought vision, courage and purpose to her leadership, always guided by a deep belief that every child deserves to have their language, culture and identity recognised, respected and celebrated. Through her efforts, countless educators and services were supported to create learning environments where all children could experience a genuine sense of belonging.

Long before concepts such as cultural inclusion, identity and belonging became embedded in policy and practice, Priscilla was advocating for their importance. She understood that language is far more than a tool for communication. It is central to a child’s sense of self, relationships, wellbeing and connection to family and community. She challenged the sector to move beyond deficit understandings of diversity and instead recognise multilingualism as a strength and a gift. This philosophy became the foundation of much of her life’s work and remains central to the values of fka Children’s Services today.

Her establishment of Australia’s first early childhood bilingual worker program, which supported children to maintain and develop their home languages in kindergarten settings, became a model replicated across Victoria and continued until government funding ceased in 2019. The program demonstrated the critical role that language plays in children’s learning, wellbeing and sense of identity, and remains one of her most enduring contributions to the sector.

Priscilla’s expertise was sought far beyond fkaCS. She represented the sector on numerous state and national advisory groups, policy forums and reference committees, contributing to the development of early childhood policy and practice across Australia. She was respected for her ability to bring together research, experience and advocacy, ensuring that the voices of children and families from migrant, refugee and multilingual communities were heard and valued in decision-making processes. Her influence can still be seen in the policies, frameworks and professional practices that guide early childhood education today.

A lifelong learner and respected scholar, Priscilla’s contribution to the field was underpinned by rigorous research. Her doctoral thesis, Investigating Second Language Acquisition in Preschools: A Longitudinal Study of Four Vietnamese-Speaking Children’s Acquisition of English in a Bilingual Preschool, broke important new ground in understanding how young children learn and use more than one language. This work reflected her enduring commitment to ensuring that educational practice was informed by evidence and grounded in respect for children’s linguistic and cultural identities.

Priscilla was also an internationally recognised authority on bilingualism and language learning in the early years. She shared her knowledge generously through keynote presentations, professional learning and consultancy work throughout Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Her presentations inspired educators to view multilingual children through a strengths-based lens and to recognise the profound importance of maintaining and nurturing children’s home languages alongside English.

Her publications have become enduring resources for the sector. Through works such as English as a Second Language in Early Childhood, incorporating a Multicultural Perspective in Program Planning for Early Childhood, and Learning English as an Additional Language in Early Childhood, developed in partnership with Professor Iram Siraj, she provided practical guidance that continues to support educators around the world. Her writing combined academic rigour with a deep understanding of everyday practice, making her work accessible, relevant and influential.

Priscilla’s commitment to children and families was always expressed through action. Among her many contributions was her work with Melinda Chapman and Dr Anne Kennedy AM in establishing a kindergarten program for Kosova refugee children arriving in Australia during the Kosova humanitarian crisis. This initiative reflected her profound belief that early childhood education can provide safety, healing and belonging for children and families experiencing displacement and uncertainty. Throughout her career, she advocated for compassionate responses that recognised the dignity, strengths and potential of every child.

Those who knew Priscilla remember a woman of great intellect, and integrity. She was a fearless advocate, prepared to challenge assumptions and speak out whenever children’s rights were at stake. Her wisdom and steadfast commitment to social justice left a lasting impression on colleagues, friends and the many people whose lives she touched. She possessed a rare ability to combine deep scholarship with genuine compassion, inspiring others through both her ideas and her actions.

In recognition of her extraordinary contribution, Priscilla was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2003 for her significant service to the preschool education of immigrant and refugee children. This honour reflected a lifetime dedicated to ensuring that all children, regardless of their cultural or linguistic background, were afforded opportunities to thrive, belong and succeed.

Priscilla’s legacy lives on in the organisation she helped shape, in the research and publications that continue to inform practice, in the policies she influenced, and in the countless children whose lives were enriched through her work. Most importantly, her legacy lives on in a sector that increasingly recognises diversity not as a challenge to overcome, but as a strength to be embraced and celebrated.

As we reflect on her remarkable life, we honour a woman whose vision transformed the landscape of early childhood education in Australia. She gave voice to communities that were too often unheard and championed approaches that recognised children’s languages, cultures and identities as powerful foundations for learning and wellbeing. Her work laid foundations that continue to support children’s identity, language, wellbeing and belonging, and her influence will continue to be felt for generations to come.

Vale Dr Priscilla Clarke OAM

With gratitude, respect and admiration, we remember a pioneer, scholar, leader and tireless advocate whose life’s work expanded opportunities for generations of children. Her legacy endures in every child whose language is valued, whose culture is respected, and every educator inspired by her vision of an inclusive, equitable and compassionate early childhood sector.

The Board, staff and wider community of fka Children’s Services extend our heartfelt condolences to Priscilla’s family, friends, colleagues and all who were privileged to know and work alongside her. We give thanks for her remarkable life, honour her enduring contribution, and celebrate the profound legacy she leaves for future generations of children, families and educators.