Preschool Field Officer Program
What is the Preschool Field Officer Program?
The Preschool field Officer (PSFO) program, funded by the Department of Education, is available to support the inclusion and participation of children in State Government funded 3 and 4 year old kindergarten programs including Early Start Kindergarten, and to build the capacity of early childhood educators.
PSFO’s provide support depending on the individual needs of the child, their family and educator and can include:
- resourcing
- strategies
- modelling
- coaching
- identification of any adaptations that can be made to the program
- referral pathways to assist early childhood educators and link families into relevant services
Read the transcript
How can the PSFO Help?
The PSFO works closely with the early childhood educator to enhance their capacity and confidence to provide an inclusive program that is considerate to the needs of all children.
Support for educators may include:
- providing information and resources to inform inclusive programs
- supporting educators to observe and understand a child’s learning and development needs
- supporting educators’ confidence and capacity to respond to a parent or guardian’s concerns regarding their child’s development
- providing planning support that respects, acknowledges and compliments the educator’s expertise in supporting children’s learning and development
- coaching to help with planning and implementation of inclusive kindergarten programs
- building professional partnerships and collaborative relationships with kindergarten educators
- modelling of specific skills, suggestions and strategies with educators
- assistance to embed child specific teaching and learning approaches and opportunities into the everyday kindergarten environment
- identifying referral pathways and linking families to child and family supports
Making a referral to PSFO
Educators or other professionals working with a child, together with parents' and guardians', can refer to the PSFO program.
Parent or guardian consent is required to refer into the PSFO program.
Preschool Field Officer referral
How much does it cost?
The PSFO program is funded by the Department of Education (DE) which allows the service to be delivered with no additional cost to families or services.
Privacy
Observations and interactions with children are discreet and respect the child and families' privacy. Information is gathered and stored according to the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), and in line with Melton City Council's Privacy Policy.
More information
Contact the PSFO team on 9747 5316 or email psfo@melton.vic.gov.au