With more than 146 applicants and only three finalists chosen in each category, the competition was incredibly strong.
But in Category 5: Continuity of Learning, the spotlight landed squarely on Mooroopna.
The Mooroopna Oral Language Initiative — a partnership between Mooroopna Primary School, the Mooroopna Children & Families Centre, Our Place, and local allied health providers — proudly took home the top award, along with a $15,000 grant to further strengthen their work.
For the team, it was a moment of pride, excitement and celebration.
This initiative was born out of a clear need.
Many families in Mooroopna face social and financial challenges, and too many children were arriving at school needing significant support with speech and language.
The local community decided not to wait until school entry.
Instead, they built a proactive model that supports children from the age of three.
The program began through the OLI program, funded by the Greater Shepparton Foundation, focusing initially on four-year-old kinder children.
But after hearing research on the importance of intervention at age three, the team expanded their approach.
“When we learned that three was the opportune time, we started screening the three-year-old kinder children,” principal Karen Goodwin said.
“It meant we could give them two full years of support before school.”
The initiative embeds language development into everyday learning, supported by an on-site speech pathologist who works directly with both kinders and the school.
Partnerships with Going Rural Health bring in speech pathology students on placement, helping the program reach even more children.
Families also play an active role, joining educators and health workers for weekly story sessions and shared activities.
The impact is clear: far fewer children are now arriving at school needing speech intervention.
“Children are starting school ready to learn from day one,” Children & Families Centre’s Sally Bate said.
The award night was a joyful surprise for the Mooroopna team.
“When our name was called, we might have made a bit of noise,” Karen said.
The grant will be used for professional learning and resources to upskill staff and continue strengthening the program.
Next year, the initiative will expand into all Mooroopna kindergartens.
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