2026 Aboriginal Families as Teachers

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This is a preview of the 2026 Aboriginal Families as Teachers Application form. When you’re ready to apply, click Fill Out Now to begin.
 

Eligibility Assessment Criteria

* indicates a required field.

1. Eligibility Assessment Critera

Program Overview 

The program aims to empower Aboriginal families to build a developmentally supportive home learning environment and increase access and engagement in age-appropriate learning for Aboriginal children.   

​AFaT focuses on working directly with families and collaborating with early childhood education services to encourage age-appropriate learning and access for children aged 0-5 years in a quality, culturally rich early childhood education program. It grants funding to provide a structured 5-day early childhood education program for Aboriginal families.  

​Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the guidelines in full before applying to ensure they understand the program’s eligibility criteria, funding components, assessment process, and reporting requirements.​ 

The program has six core objectives: 

    1. Support Aboriginal families to create and strengthen developmentally rich home learning environments

Provide culturally appropriate resources and learning intentions each session. This approach recognises families as a child’s first and most important teachers, and aims to build confidence, connection, and continuity between home and early learning settings.  

2. Promote literacy and numeracy-rich practices    
Deliver intentional learning activities and distribute culturally rich resources to all funded families per term, with the goal of increasing home-based literacy and numeracy practices, as measured through parent feedback and participation data.   

3. Build families’ confidence to support their children’s learning and healthy development.

Deliver programming that introduces and builds on family knowledge of child development milestones and introduces early learning strategies to support growth.   

4. Support successful transitions to school for Aboriginal children and families 

Work with families, schools, and early childhood educators to co-design culturally safe transition plans, aiming for increased enrolment and positive transition experiences to available ECEC services, preschool or school.  

5. Promote the value of early childhood education and increase participation in quality ECE programs 

Engage families and communities through culturally led outreach to boost enrolment in early childhood programs, with a target of 600 hours minimum participation in the year before school.  

6. Improve developmental outcomes across all five AEDC domains 

Establish partnerships with health services to support access to regular health and developmental checks and use the results—alongside strength-based assessments and family-supported learning plans—to monitor and track progress in children’s physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language development, aligned with AEDC indicators.  

a) Please indicate which category your organisation belongs to: * Required
Response required.Response required.
Clear the selected value for a) Please indicate which category your organisation belongs to:
b) Is your organisation located in one of the Statistical Area 3 (SA3) locations identified below; *Refer to the ABS Maps (Australian Bureau of Statistics) to check which SA3 location your service is located in.  * Required
https://maps.abs.gov.au/
 
  • Port Stephens
  • Lake Macquarie East
  • Lake Macquarie West
  • Newcastle
  • Lower Murray
  • Broken Hill and Far West
  • Bourke - Cobar - Coonamble
  • South Coast
  • Shoalhaven
  • Kiama-Shellharbour
  • Lachlan Valley
  • Dubbo
  • Orange
  • Bathurst
  • Tweed Valley
  • Richmond Valley Hinterland
  • Inverell Tenterfield
When servicing rural settings funding may be allocated to consider distance between each community within the SA3 location
d) Will your proposed program activities be: Developed by a qualified Early Childhood Teacher (ECT)? * Required
Implemented by a certificate III or diploma-qualified early childhood educator, or another person with a relevant tertiary qualification? * Required
Response required.
e) Is your organisation: * Required
Response required.Response required.
Clear the selected value for e) Is your organisation:
f) Will your organisation ensure that all funded staff positions have clearly defined AFaT duties and that AFaT funding is used specifically for AFaT’s core objectives and not duplicate for similar programs? * Required
Response required.
 

g) You must attach evidence demonstrating your organisations not-for-profit status through one of the following:

  • current Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission's (ACNC) registration
  • current state or territory registration as an incorporated association
  • copy of constitution or memorandum and articles of association that demonstrate the not-for-profit character of the organisation
h) Please upload documentation demonstrating your organisation's not-for-profit status. 
Attach a file: Select stored file