School Readiness Funding is a Victorian Government needs-based funding initiative which provides funding to address educational disadvantage and supports children’s development. Kindergarten programs are allocated funding for the purchase of high-quality items from a menu of evidence-informed programs and supports (the menu). Programs and supports listed on the menu directly support children’s learning and development in at least one of the three School Readiness Funding priority areas:
Sing&Grow is an approved provider on the School Readiness Funding Menu from 2021.
Click here to view more information about the menu and a list of the current programs and supports.
Sing&Grow is an evidence-based music therapy program supporting children aged birth to five years, their parents and communities, to use music for building relationships, increasing community connection and facilitating childhood development outcomes.
All Sing&Grow services are exclusively delivered by Registered Music Therapists with additional Sing&Grow training. Sing&Grow has capacity to offer programs to kindergartens in metropolitan Melbourne and some regional areas of Victoria. Sing&Grow can also provide services remotely via online platforms as needed.
Recent research into Sing&Grow found that parent-reported benefits for children included developing confidence, social skills, language and communication, motor skills, self-regulation and other attributes necessary for successful participation in more formalised learning environments such as school (Williams et al, 2020).
In addition to this, Sing&Grow was shown to support significant improvements in:
Off to School (OTS) group for children aged 3-6 years with early childhood professionals.
The OTS program assists with school readiness, promotion of self-regulation skills and focuses on developing social skills, motor skills, literacy and numeracy skills, routines, emotional wellbeing and independence. As a music therapy program, Sing&Grow music therapists focus on children’s emotional wellbeing, supporting children to understand their feelings, become aware of their peers and their needs, and developing strategies using music as the tool to teach and model these necessary skills for lifelong learning.
Each session includes instrumental play, songs, rhymes and dancing. Sing&Grow music therapists can also incorporate themes and components from your curriculum into OTS sessions. It is recommended that where possible you book in at least 8 OTS sessions per kinder group in your service, however this can be flexible depending on your needs. Sing&Grow music therapists must be booked for a minimum of one hour on site. Sessions can be either 30 or 60 minutes depending on the needs of your group. It is recommended that educators participate and are engaged within all Sing&Grow sessions in order to further embed the learnings throughout the week for the children.
OTS programs are most effective when Sing&Grow music therapists and kinder educators are able to collaborate on planning session themes. In order to ensure your preferred term/day/time for the OTS program, it is recommended that you notify Sing&Grow if you put Sing&Grow’s OTS program or workshops on your SRF plan prior to the end of the calendar year. If your service requires a Purchase Order number in order to process invoices, please arrange this and inform Sing&Grow of the PO number as soon as possible prior to the program commencing. Included in all Sing&Grow services is access for all educators and families to the Sing&Grow Family Portal for the duration of the term. The portal provides access to the online Sing&Grow sessions, companion booklets to each session, free download of the Sing&Grow CD and other resources to support kinders and families to continue using music throughout the day. As part of the OTS program, educators will also receive a companion booklet that includes further information and ideas for embedding music within their teaching practices.
It is recommended that group sizes are capped at a maximum of 20 children per session where possible. Sing&Grow music therapists will be on site for a minimum one hour. We can offer 2x 30 minute sessions if the group is larger than 20 children.
Professional Development Services
Our professional development workshops build capacity and confidence of Early Childhood Professionals to use music more effectively. The Time for Tunes Workshop empowers staff to facilitate their own small music sessions, whereas the Music Tools Workshop supports them to responsively use music throughout the day to support children’s diverse needs. Contact Sing&Grow for further information on our professional development workshops and how we can tailor the workshop to your needs.
Sing&Grow is a program of Playgroup Queensland Ltd and is partly funded by the Australian Government.
