JOINT SUBMISSION TO THE THRIVING KIDS INITIATIVE INQUIRY
Submitted Friday, 3 October 2025
INTRODUCTION
The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) and Raising Literacy Australia (RLA) welcome the opportunity to contribute to the inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative, and it is our combined understanding that – through the Thriving Kids initiative – the Commonwealth aims to establish a national system of supports for children aged 8 and under with mild to moderate developmental delay and autism – and their families.
It is also our understanding that these supports will be delivered through existing mainstream and community services (e.g. maternal health, allied health playgroups, early childhood education and care, library services) so that these services can better support families and children in settings they already are connected to.
Our submission draws on our combined extensive experience in supporting the development of children’s language and literacy skills in the early years (to 8 years of age) in a range of locations and settings.
Both ALNF and RLA work with children and families with diverse abilities and resources, and we understand the huge gains to be made – for individuals, families and the nation – under the Thriving Kids initiative.
Our submission comments upon the inquiry’s Terms of Reference, and proposes practical, scalable advice so that parents and services can (a) identify children demonstrating or at risk of demonstrating mild to moderate development delays in oral language and foundational pre-literacy skills; (b) access practical, accessible supports, resources and interventions that can be easily implemented and monitored in daily practices; and (c) use to monitors children’s oral language and early literacy growth across time.
It is important to note that “strong oral language skills predict children’s success in life … The ability to communicate effectively is key to learning … and underpins children’s transition to literacy”1, making it vital to identify and support developmental delays early, appropriately and seamlessly.
1 Anzai, D., Knowles, S., Cloney, D., Munro-Smith, P., & Mitchell, P. (2021). Assessment of Oral Language and Early Literacy in Early Childhood Education and Care: Literature Review. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Melbourne. p.3.
ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUNDS
The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) is a not-for-profit with 25+ years of expertise in teaching and learning, language, and literacy. We serve communities that are experiencing multiple layers of disadvantage, including – but not limited to - rural / remote, First Nations, and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse populations. Our core work involves developing and distributing resources as well as training educators, teachers and paraprofessionals in how to foster oral language and early literacy in children below their developmental learning milestones.
In 2024, ALNF directly provided training to over 1,200 educators, parent and community members in locations across Australia, and distributed approximately 35,000 vital literacy and learning resource to children and communities. We strong believe that language and literacy skills allow individuals to access education, participate meaningfully in our society and to have a voice.
As part of this work, we have developed a range of literacy programs as well as a comprehensive assessment of language and literacy development called ELLDI (the Early Language and Literacy Development Index).
Raising Literacy Australia (RLA) is a not-for-profit organisation with 20 years of committed experience striving to ensure that every child thrives in their early years and develops strong foundations for lifelong learning.
RLA’s mission is to improve children’s neurodevelopment through early language and literacy development and break cycles of disadvantage by providing integrated educational support, programs and resources to families, children and communities.
RLA’s flagship Words Grow Minds (WGM) program is designed to both increase knowledge around early childhood development and empower parents to best support their children in the critical early years. WGM partners with mainstream and community services (e.g. ECEC sector, libraries, playgroups, welfare services etc) to equip them with the quality resources and strategies to increase parental capacity to support their children’s development.
WGM recently secured a $5.2million five-year agreement from the South Australian government to ensure that the WGM program is entrenched statewide. There are current negotiations underway to expand the program into additional states and territories.
Thank you for considering our joint submission into the Thriving Kids Initiative. We have endeavoured to bring our experience to bear in anticipating what this initiative will require for a successful national rollout that supports all Australian children aged 0-8 experiencing developmental delay and/or autism.
RESPONDING TO THE TERMS OF REFERENCE
As suggested in the inquiry’s Terms of Reference, for Thriving Kids to succeed it will be critical to:
- facilitate accessible, evidence-based information and resources that parents can use to properly identify and support children with mild to moderate development delays;
- identify and facilitate effective resources, programs and initiatives that mainstream services (e.g. maternal health, allied health playgroups, schools and early childhood education and care) can access to best support children and their families, thereby facilitating early and impactful intervention for children;
- facilitate an integrated approach that leverages existing systems of support, including early learning centres, libraries, allied health and schools;
- ensure that identified solutions are equitable, accessible and culturally appropriate;
- empower and equip parents/ caregivers and paraprofessionals to support children at home, in community, and in early learning; and
- ease the burden on educators and specialists such as speech pathologists to provide intensive intervention supports by facilitating easy-to-implement strategies, such as Tier 2 support strategies2.
In relation to the examination of evidence-based information and resources that could assist parents identify if their child has mild to moderate development delay and support parents to provide support to these children, we would like to draw the inquiry’s attention to the roles that the Early Language and Literacy Development Index (ELLDI) and the Words Grow Minds (WGM) program can serve.
The ELLDI is a formative assessment tool of oral language and early literacy for children aged 2.5 years old to 5, extending up to 8 years old, which has been identified as internationally unique due to its progression scale in oral language and early literacy for 2–5-year-olds3. ALNF commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to develop the tool as part of a five-year longitudinal study into the effectiveness of early language and literacy programming in the Mid-Coast NSW, known as the ODEC study4.
2 By Tier 2 supports, we refer to AERO’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports Framework (https://www.edresearch.edu.au/summaries-explainers/explainers/introduction-multi-tiered-system-supports) “Tier 2 interventions are generally provided to small groups in addition to the high-quality instruction received by all students at Tier 1. Tier 2 instruction comprises the same evidence-based, high-quality instructional practices previously described in this explainer and supplements Tier 1 – it does not replace it. Regular progress monitoring should continue so supports are reintroduced if students fall behind again.”
3 4 Cloney, D., Picker, K., Jeffries, D., & Anderson, P. (2022). The Overcoming Disadvantage in Early Childhood study: Evaluation of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation’s Early Language and Literacy program. Final Report. Australian Council for Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-710-6
ELLDI features a robust, developmental scale5 that clearly expresses a child’s progression over time, and it includes age-appropriate, psychometrically aligned tasks across all universal subdomains of early language & literacy development6. It is informed by the aforementioned longitudinal study and triangulated with reference to respected domestic and international datasets7.
The ELLDI reporting also includes practical, tailored strategies and activities that parents and services can use with children at their particular stages of development. As a formative assessment tool, these recommendations change and adapt as children progress.
The ELLDI was originally developed to solve the following persistent problems:
- the need for an instrument that provides feedback across all subdomains of early language and literacy (rather than needing to correlate results from subdomain-specific instruments);
- the need for an accessible instrument that can be administered with quality by everyday practitioners – such as early years educators or librarians (comparable tools such as the CELF can only be administered by specialists); and
- the need for a formative assessment tool that can monitor children’s growth across time, and which can adjust advice accordingly.
Whilst the ELLDI is not diagnostic, the robustness of the scale upon which it is based means that it can be used to help in identifying children who may exhibiting mild to moderate development delays in oral language and early literacy (including phonological awareness), and prompt parents as well as mainstream and community services to seek further information whilst being able to enact immediate interventions.
One such scalable intervention pathway is through the Words Grow Minds (WGM) program. RLA has a wide-ranging community partner network through which they distribute and support high quality, high impact resources and strategies that services can administer, and parents can practise at home. The collaboration between ALNF and RLA aims to add an additional element to the Words Grow Minds program by adding an adapted ELLDI tool that can be utilised at the places families already go and by the people they already have trusted relationships with. This might include the library staff delivering local storytime sessions, the familiar playgroup leader who knows and has bonded with their child, or the welfare outreach worker who regularly connects with the family. A key advantage of this delivery mechanism is that it ensures accessibility of the ELLDI to those who may not be utilising government or formal education services. Significantly, it also ensures that a parent is present at the assessment to directly learn if their child shows signs of developmental delays and that they are directly given the advice and resources to support their child’s development and boost their own capacity.
5 Cloney, D., & Picker, K. (2021). Developing an assessment of oral language and literacy: Measuring growth in the early years. Excellent Progress for Every Student: Proceedings and Program. ACER Research Conference 2021. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_2 6 Subdomains include oral language (including articulation, articulation and expression), expressive vocabulary, phonological awareness, early phonics (including letter identification), print conventions, pre-writing and writing, comprehension, and reading (which includes the transition to reading) 7 Including the Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Study (LLANS) (domestic) and Measuring Early Learning Quality and Outcomes (MELQO) (international).
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In relation to the examination of the effectiveness of current (and previous) programs and initiatives that identify children with development delay, autism or both, with mild to moderate support needs and support them and their families participating in community and mainstream services, we would like to raise attention to ALNF and RLA programming. This programming also demonstrates that it is quite feasible to provide scalable workforce support and training required for mainstream and community services to have the confidence to support children’s oral language and early literacy skills.
ALNF has over 25 years of experience delivering speech pathology-informed early language and literacy training for community-based services (e.g. ECEC sector, schools, library). In the aforementioned ODEC report, it was found that ALNF’s Early Language and Literacy (EL&L) programming was able to close the achievement gap between the treatment and control group in the vital year before schooling, noting that the study found that children in the treatment group experienced more disadvantages than their peers in the control group. Key attributes of EL&L programming are featured in the tailored advice provided through the ELLDI.
In further research8, a study of EL&L and ELLDI programming within an Alice Springs (NT) context found that EL&L and ELLDI programming were effective within a responsive-to-intervention model. Local educators reported that the implementation of the ELLDI allowed the services to better monitor children’s development and adjust their strategies, activities and language to the needs of individual children. Educators also noted a stronger understanding of early language and literacy development, increased and more intentional use of strategies, and greater confidence in supporting children’s growth.
In the Independent Expert Panel’s report into the review to Inform a Better and Fairer Education System (Improving Outcomes for All), the ELLDI was highlighted as “an example of the efficacy of early literacy screening and targeted literacy intervention.”9
In research conducted by the Australian Educational Research Organisation (AERO) 10, it was found that EL&L and ELLDI program can be administered in local early education and care services through a peer mentoring model, and that accessible training along with peer mentoring are feasible and promising ways to disseminate professional learning so more local services can implement effective interventions, and ultimately, more children can benefit.
8 Groom, S., Mendel, M-R., Brace, E., & Pryor, P. (2022, August 22–25). Evidence-informed early language and literacy practice: Implementation of a new formative assessment for early language and literacy development. ACER Research Conference 2022: Reimagining assessment. Australian Council for Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-685-7-11 9 Page 49 in Independent Expert Panel. (2023). Improving outcomes for all: The report of the Independent Expert Panel’s review to inform a better and fairer education system. Department of Education, Australian Government. 10 Ridgway, K., Collier, A., Pian, R., People, J., Bradford, D., & Mancenido, Z. (2024). Peer mentoring for sharing skills and knowledge from professional learning: The importance of planning and support. Australian Education Research Organisation. https://www.edresearch.edu.au/research/research-reports/peer-mentoring-sharing-skills-and-knowledge-professional-learning
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Based on this background, ALNF is confident that it is feasible and impactful to (a) equip mainstream and community services and families with effective tools and aligned strategies to facilitate effective implementation of high quality, high impact and high frequency support for children with mild to moderate delays in oral language and early literacy skills; and (b) monitor children’s growth and adjust age-appropriate practices over time.
As we know, undiagnosed/unaddressed developmental delay or learning challenges make it very difficult for children to thrive. Without a way to triage which children need immediate specialist support, and which would benefit Tier 2 supports, the specialist sector will be overwhelmed with requests for support and children will face long delays before getting help. Ideally, a screening tool can detect signs of potential developmental delay quickly and easily in all children, flag when further support is recommended, and provide information to a range of health and education services to facilitate a holistic approach to supporting children with developmental delay and/or autism. The research is clear; language and literacy are visible and direct indicators of developmental progress in children. Therefore, a comprehensive measure of oral language and early literacy for Australian children that aligns to evidence-based developmental milestones is a valid and reliable way to support early intervention.
RLA’s WGM program also demonstrates a quality, scalable initiative which recognises the importance of universal supports in the early years to reduce the risks of any child falling through the cracks. While Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data clearly shows that vulnerability is concentrated in certain geographic areas we also know that there can be increases across the board. The adoption of a universal, free and judgement-free program means that every parent can access the information and advice to help determine if their child is at risk. The use of a wide network of mainstream delivery partners ensures that the program meets parents where they are and can be accessed through free or low-cost services in every community.
WGM works to build the capacity of services and communities to support families as their child’s first educators, fostering positive interactions from birth, and allay parental concerns or providing relevant advice.
Both ALNF and RLA understand the importance of identifying mechanisms that would allow a seamless transition through mainstream systems for all children with mild to moderate support needs. Children and their families encounter a variety of services in those vital, foundational years of a child’s life, and we know all too well the importance of engaging this network of services so that children and families can equitably receive the supports needed in a timely manner and across key transition points.
This is embedded into the design of the WGM program. Access to information and consistency of messaging are key. WGM’s commitment to its partner network and to the accessibility and universality of WGM resources means that the program is accessible to families regardless of whether touchpoints are with playgroups and ECEC services, maternal health and libraries or the various combinations thereof.
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We note that – as a scalable digital solution with onboarding and training – the ELLDI can flexibly and securely be used within and across services as children grow and make important transitions. The ELLDI has a robust permissioned architecture which allows for strong privacy controls whilst also facilitating collaboration between service provides. This includes easy-to-use tools to migrate children’s information from one service to another as they transition between environments (e.g. playgroup to preschool; preschool to school). ELLDI has a growing library of recommended interventions and aligned supports which allow for interventions to adapt as children grow. RLA and ALNF imagine a scenario where the combined WGM and ELLDI programs can foster a network of information sharing and engagement amongst connected services.
EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND SUPPORT BY CONNECTED SERVICES
Maternal Health
Maternal and other early years health providers add ELLDI to screenings to identify children at risk of delays.
Inclusive of aligned activities in the home as well as referrals for further conversations (where appropriate).
General Practitioners (GP)
ELLDI report information along with WGM program materials equip parents and service providers with the additional information they need to seek advice from GP on additional care plans.
Early Education and Care
Skilled educators support children’s (2-6 yrs) oral language and pre-literacy growth using ELLDI and WGM to enable them to select and adjust practices
Playgroups & Library Services
Accessible services can access ELLDI and WGM programming, enhancing their capacity to support families and children with oral language & early literacy
Allied Health Services (including speech pathology)
ELLDI triages children most at risk and recommends specialist supports. Specialists receive the ELLDI report as a starting point for intervention
Recommendations to families also inform early education programming, transition plans and school teaching and learning.
School Transitions
Parents receive WGM resources and strategies that help develop children’s skills, and schools are provided with robust, ELLDI report information to support incoming children
School
School teachers and student learning support staL can provide daily/regular dosage of Tier 2 oral language and early literacy support for children with mild to moderate developmental delay, and are able to monitor children’s growth over time.
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Both ALNF and RLA exhibit a commitment to equitable access to services, and to supporting First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. ALNF has a long history of providing services and support across urban, regional and remote environments, including conducting research and documented examples of the ELLDI-in-practice in regional Victoria and NSW, Central Australia, Western Sydney and South-West Queensland. We are confident that the ELLDI stimulus materials (e.g. picture books, conversational prompts, instructional language, etc) are accessible and engaging for children from a range of backgrounds and experiences. Whilst the ELLDI was developed through longitudinal research on the Mid-North Coast of NSW, its alignment to LLANS and MELQO data validate the ELLDI scale across all children.
It is of critical importance that WGM is a universal program, delivered through both government and non-government channels through partners who already have trusted relationships with the local families. The use of community partners is important to include families who may have a distrust or aversion to government services or an economic barrier to paid supports. All aspects of the program have been developed to respect the importance of oral language to being connected to country, identity, culture, kinship and community. Words Grow Minds has been adapted for inclusive delivery. This includes a dedicated new arrivals program for culturally and linguistically diverse communities as well as the current development of a separate First Nations specific version of the program and targeted, intensive programs for particularly vulnerable communities.
In conclusion, ALNF and RLA are striving to support children at risk of or experiencing developmental delay across Australia through our integrated programs and connection with mainstream support networks. We feel this approach is very much aligned with the intentions and requirements of Thriving Kids, and welcome the opportunity to discuss how we might be part of this initiative.
ALNF and RLA welcome the opportunity to further understand the goals and implementation requirements of Thriving Kids and to take a flexible approach to our delivery. We are very willing to partner with complementary organisations and services to ensure a well-coordinated, holistic programme of supports for vulnerable children. We can also provide further detail around implementation and costs as and when appropriate.
Thank you for considering our submission.
CONTACT US
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