Mondays@Murdoch: KindiLink

KINDILINKPLEASE JOIN MURDOCH EDUCATION FOR A FREE SEMINAR PRESENTED BY ROSEMARY CAHILL, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DIRECTOR OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.  In this talk, Rosemary will be outlining the intent and the nature of KindiLink for three year old children and their families, and then key findings from the evaluation, with implications for how educators perceive their own work through the lens of parents and families. KindiLink is an innovative approach to three-year-old preschool, delivered in WA since 2016, focussing on Aboriginal children and families at 38 public school sites. KindiLink entails six hours per week of supported playgroup sessions for children who attend with a parent/caregiver in the year before preschool. KindiLink has a dual focus on children's learning and their home learning environments. KindiLink applies a family-centric approach to early learning services prior to school entry. Many WA families access high-quality formal early learning services. In parallel, through KindiLink and other playgroups, they also have access to a suite of informal services where they and their children are immersed in high-quality, evidence-based programs that are tailored around the strengths and aspirations of the families and children they serve. An evaluation of KindiLink by ECU found it to be highly effective in its four key outcomes relating to children's learning and home learning environments, including parental confidence and efficacy. ROSEMARY CAHILL Dr Rosemary Cahill is a senior public servant in WA’s school sector, and currently holds the position of ‘Director, Early Childhood Education, Literacy and Numeracy’.  She has taught, developed policy and managed projects in early childhood, literacy and numeracy, Aboriginal education and special education since the 1980s.  Rosemary recognises her experience of growing up in the WA wheatbelt, motherhood, living overseas, renovations, study and hockey as factors contributing to who she is and what she thinks. Find us at Hill Lecture Theatre: https://maps.murdoch.edu.au/location/14502035 [https://maps.murdoch.edu.au/location/14502035]