Who are our communities?
The TRY Society, now Sparkways, was established with the guiding principle of ‘social equality’ at its heart. Move forward 140+ years, and that same principle continues to be the basis on which Sparkways operates.
Today, Sparkways works to break the cycle of disadvantage in the vulnerable and disadvantaged communities that are located in the greater Melbourne and inner rural regions of Victoria, with a particular focus on the high growth corridors to the north and west of metropolitan Melbourne. AEDC 1data indicates that communities in these areas have increasing numbers of children who experience vulnerability and/or disadvantage, including an increase in children who are developmentally vulnerable in two or more domains. Sparkways works to ensure that these communities have an equal opportunity to succeed and are equipped with the tools to allow them to move on from what, can be, ingrained and/or trauma driven intergenerational disadvantage.
How we plan to support our vulnerable communities
To achieve this, each Sparkways service is an integrated member of its community and provides a range of professional, skilled and dedicated support services that work in conjunction with the provision of high-quality early years education and care to break the cycle of disadvantage existing in these communities.
The work undertaken by each of the Sparkways services is based on the application of the principles of trauma informed practice underpinned by a strong and abounding sense of community. The communities in which Sparkways operates can be both vulnerable and disadvantaged, as demonstrated by a broad range of data sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and child centred surveys such as the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) and require a diverse range of professional skills to be able to meet the ever-growing complexity of vulnerable children and families who may reside in these communities.
Sparkways educators undertake ongoing professional development, including training and coaching in trauma informed practice, with additional training and coaching available in the fundamentals of areas such as child psychology, occupational therapy and speech therapy, to develop the capability to support individual children's education and care needs. Alongside the engagement of Allied Health and other professionals to provide additional support, this enables a well-rounded and holistic approach to providing community support to enable children to thrive.
In addition, we provide a range of programs and support services through Sparkways kindergartens and childcare centres that are specifically designed to build community engagement and economic support to families. The programs are unique to the service and range from book gifting to breakfast clubs, community pantries and clothing donation initiatives.
Our focus
The primary focus of Sparkways is the provision of benevolent support to the children, families and communities in which it operates. The vehicle that Sparkways utilises to gain trust in these communities is the provision of high-quality early years education and care however, education, in itself, is only a small part of the overall and long-lasting impact early intervention through wrap-around support provides in breaking the cycle of disadvantage for those in the community who need this assistance.
