Program aspires to support refugee youth

29th of October, 2019

We are extremely proud to be a partner of the ASPIRE program – a finalist in last nights’ Department of Education and Training’s 2019 Victorian Early Years Awards for Promoting Children’s Health and Wellbeing Award.

Nearly a fifth of students at Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School were developmentally vulnerable in two or more domains, according to data from the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) in 2015.

Eighty-five per cent of students at Good Samaritan are from non-English speaking backgrounds, including many refugees who fled Iraq. To support their students and families, the school created the ASPIRE project. The project provides earlier access to a range of early childhood education care, health and development supports for children who are disadvantaged and developmentally vulnerable.

We congratulate our partners Hume City Council, Foundation House, Community Hubs Australia, and North Western Melbourne PHN and all the other finalists and winners.

(Image credit: North Western Melbourne PHN)