About Innovative Solutions
The Inclusion Support Program (ISP) Innovative Solutions Support stream is funding designed to assist early childhood education and care (ECEC) services to enhance their capacity to provide genuine, inclusive services to children attending the centre. This includes supporting children with disabilities, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and/or from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities . This support is part of the Inclusion Development Fund, and offers flexible funding for tailored solutions that go beyond standard inclusion support.
Funding through this program can be used to access the following services from experienced and qualified support providers:
- Bilingual support: Providing translating and interpreting services to facilitate communication.
- Cultural advice and mentoring: Engaging cultural experts to support inclusion of children from diverse backgrounds.
- Collaboration with specialists including speech pathologists: Obtaining advice to support children with disabilities.
- Networking and community engagement: Visiting other ECEC services to observe inclusive practices or hosting inclusion-focused networking meetings.
- Specialised inclusion training: Accessing essential training for educators, such as strategies for supporting neurodivergent children, especially when such training is beyond national regulatory requirements.
For more information on eligibility requirements and how to apply, scroll further down to the links at the end of this page.
Choosing HDST as your Innovative Solutions Support Provider
Hills District Speech Therapy provides a range of bespoke services to support centres and their educators in their work with children and inclusivity. Our collective knowledge, skill set and expertise on child development sets us apart from other support providers, and distinguishes our approach towards sustainable outcomes through the Innovative Solutions program.
In our experience being a support provider, we have delivered the following activities successfully in our partnership with early education centres:
Testimonial from our recent Innovative Solutions partner
Roshan Jabeen Rajgopal
Centre Director
Achievers Early Learning Centre, Wentworthville
www.achieversearlylearning.com.au | 82 Smith Street Wentworthville
”A Valuable Partnership in Supporting Our Preschoolers
Our experience working with Hills District Speech Therapy has been truly enriching and impactful. As an early childhood provider committed to nurturing every child’s potential, collaborating with Hills District Speech Therapy has allowed us to enhance our educational environment through professional guidance, tailored support, and evidence-based strategies.
Using the Innovative Solutions Support Funding and Health and Development Funding, we were able to bring valuable services directly into our learning setting. The speech therapists and Occupational Therapists from Hills Speech Therapy not only conducted assessments and provided direct support to children but also worked closely with our educators, mentoring them on how to implement language stimulation strategies during everyday interactions.
One of the highlights of our partnership was the introduction of LEGO-Based Therapy, which proved to be an engaging and effective tool for building communication and social skills. The therapists guided our team in using LEGO as a medium to foster turn-taking, listening, and collaborative problem-solving among children. This hands-on support helped our educators feel more confident and equipped to support children’s speech and language development in meaningful, play-based ways.
Hills District Speech Therapy also facilitated a professional development session for our educators, focusing on child-centred, responsive language stimulation strategies. The session was practical and insightful, offering educators a deeper understanding of how to create rich language environments through everyday play and interaction. The session also included a refresher on identifying developmental red flags, empowering our team to observe and support children more effectively. The therapists’ knowledge, warmth, and approachable delivery style made the learning experience both engaging and immediately applicable in our Preschool Room.
In addition, the Hills District Speech Therapy team shared practical resources and developmental checklists that strengthened our understanding of early intervention. This has enabled us to better communicate with families and support children’s learning and development in a more informed and collaborative manner.
We are grateful for the opportunity to work with such a knowledgeable and compassionate team. Their child-centred approach aligns seamlessly with our philosophy, and we’ve seen a noticeable boost in both educator capability and children’s engagement as a result of this collaboration.
We look forward to continuing this valuable partnership and highly recommend Hills District Speech Therapy to other early childhood services seeking to strengthen developmental outcomes for their children.