Bubup Wilam is a strengths-based, preventative and where needed, early intervention service, that aims to provide a specific and targeted holistic education, health and wellbeing program to provide the best opportunities for all children to reach their full human potential. For this to occur we need to invest in providing the highest quality multi-disciplinary, integrated Early Years’ service that is specific to the Bubup Wilam community. Central to this is the high-quality education and care of our children and strengths-based support for our families, acknowledging and celebrating them as the key decision makers in their own lives. 

Our education program offers all that the mainstream curriculum offers through the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework: Belonging, Being and Becoming. However, Bubup Wilam goes beyond this, having developed an Aboriginal Early Years Curriculum that identifies specific outcomes for Aboriginal children to embrace their identity, skills and knowledge and to ensure the vision of the service can be realised. 

Our children therefore receive the best of both worlds with the aim that they transition to school ready for life beyond Bubup Wilam. Supports are also provided to families throughout their child’s time at Bubup Wilam to ensure that everyone thrives and is ready for that transition.

Our program is steeped in supporting children’s strong and proud identities and learning about the true history of this country through a social justice lens. The program is underpinned by a trauma informed lens and this is embedded in all aspects of our classrooms and delivery.

Children are also taught about their custodianship responsibilities to Country and this is also embedded through all aspects of their curriculum and learning. Children spend one full day learning out on Country each week. 

Our program embraces all curriculum areas such as maths, language and literacy, science, drama, music, art, environmental custodianship, and Aboriginal identity. This is all led through an Aboriginal perspective. 

Underpinned by children’s rights, we offer an integrated and holistic model that works seamlessly with our Early Childhood Intervention Service, Health and Wellbeing program, Family support program and adult education program to ensure that children’s and families holistic needs are met. These wrap around services are provided within the child’s education space to ensure they have all they need to reach their full human potential. 

We also offer an intensive transition to school program up until grade two and an alumni program ongoing. 

We cater for the needs of up to 75 Aboriginal children daily ranging in age from 6 months to 6 years. We have four classrooms divided into different age ranges however children spend much of their day in the outdoors where all age groups are together, and children can freely move amongst classrooms. This provides children from the same families to be together and embraces the whole of community space that Bubup Wilam is. 

The classrooms are Taungurung (4yr old), Wathaurong (3yr old), Dja Dja Wurrung (Toddler) and Boon Wurrung (Babies), starting from 6-months old

Bubup Wilam is a safe place for our children and families and is a community gathering place where everyone can come and be together. The families and children are all benefitting from our strong community engagement. 

We are very proud of what we have achieved and are excited to continue to build on the development of the service and the positive outcomes of our children, families and community.