Helping young learners thrive

In 2024, Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania piloted its Early Years Empowerment project with support from a FFV Community Grant. The program was developed to address the gap in early childhood education experienced by children aged 3–5 who are staying at Ronald McDonald Houses in North Fitzroy, Parkville, and the Ronald McDonald Family Room within the Monash Children’s Hospital. Many of these children - and their siblings - are away from home or hospitalised for extended periods due to serious illness, missing out on critical early years education and social development.

Led by Early Years Educator Amanda Acutt, the program has already delivered significant outcomes and continues to build momentum, with regular attendance and positive feedback.

Over the course of the pilot year, more than 230 children have participated in the program’s early years sessions, which provide stimulating, play-based learning tailored to individual needs. Approximately 70% of participants were patients, while 30% were siblings - all facing disruption to their normal early education experiences.

The majority of these children are from regional Victoria, with some families relocating temporarily from interstate for medical treatment. With the program now embedded across the three sites, RMHC VIC & TAS expects to reach over 250 children in 2025.

The sessions are designed to cover key early learning areas, such as:

• Letter recognition and phonics

• Socialisation and emotional development

• Number concepts and counting (0–20)

• Foundational skills to support school readiness

For parents and caregivers, the program also supports them with practical, age-appropriate strategies they can use to support their children’s learning and development as well as advice around kindergarten options, enrolment, and navigating the early years system.

Parent testimonials:

“Lily really enjoys attending the sessions with Amanda. It’s also a nice change from staying in our room all day as we wait for Charlie’s surgery. From observing Amanda interact/play with the children, I’ve also taken away new ideas for learning through play that we can do in our own time too!”

“The Kinder sessions allowed Aurora to interact with other kids and have a form of normalcy during her hospital stay. Amanda’s dedication to teaching really shone through with the confident way she navigated each student’s unique medical situation, education level, and skills.”

Beyond educational benefits, this program has also brought a welcome sense of routine and relief to families during long and often overwhelming hospital stays.

With FFV’s continued funding of the program in 2025, Amanda will continue delivering six sessions per week during school terms 1- 3.

The Foundation’s grant also enables the program to cover planning, evaluation, communication with hospitals and families, and travel between sites, ensuring its reach and quality are maintained.

FFV is proud to support this valuable program giving children the chance to keep learning, growing and connecting - no matter what challenges they’re facing.

With Freemasons Foundation Victoria’s support, our organisation can continue to address the challenges unique to children and siblings of children with a serious illness and their access to fundamental early years education. - RMHC Vic Tas