Pre-Prep Longitudinal Study

The University of Melbourne (UoM), in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education and the Front Project, are undertaking an evaluation of the state-wide roll-out of Pre-Prep (4-year-old kindergarten) in Victoria. The project is led by UoM, with funding provided by the Victorian Department of Education over the next four years.

Victoria is the first state or territory in Australia to introduce 30 hours of funded Pre-Prep for children across the state. The Pre-Prep Longitudinal Study will look at how free Pre-Prep helps children’s learning and development. The Pre-Prep Longitudinal Study will also look at the impact of Pre-Prep on families’ workforce participation.

Evaluating Victoria’s funded Pre-Prep roll-out is crucial, given the known benefits of quality early childhood education in the year before starting school, particularly for children who need extra support. The study addresses the lack of international evidence on large-scale universal early childhood education programs. It offers a unique opportunity to collect information from children, families, and kindergartens, filling a critical knowledge gap and providing insights into policies that may break cycles of disadvantage. This partnership is committed to delivering an evaluation that provides robust evidence and practical information for early childhood teachers and educators, centre leaders and providers.

Professor Tricia Eadie: peadie@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Penny Levickis: penny.levickis@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Laura McFarland: laura.mcfarland@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Hannah Bryson: hannah.bryson@unimelb.edu.au

Professor Guyonne Kalb: g.kalb@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Yi-Ping Tseng: y.tseng@unimelb.edu.au

This project was funded by the Victorian Department of Education.