At Greensborough Preschool, Nominated Supervisor Donna Leibowitz and her team see the Best Start, Best Life reforms as a chance to deepen connection - with children, with families, and with place.
“We’re already seeing what it looks like when children have two years with the same team,” Donna told me. “They don’t need a settling-in period in their four-year-old year. They walk back in, find their locker, and get straight into learning. It’s their space. There’s a real sense of identity and belonging.”
That continuity has become a hallmark of Greensborough’s approach. It started as a response to growing enrolments and evolving staffing and the impact has been powerful, not just for children and families, but for educators:
“Everybody knows that you're not just a four-year- old teacher or a three-year- old teacher. We actually have the children for two years, and that's great for educators, to help them grow as teachers.”
Rethinking the rhythms of kindergarten
The team at Greensborough has already begun adapting for the increased hours that will flow from the Victorian Government’s Pre-Prep initiative. While being ready to explore rotational models, Greensborough is currently drawing on its existing strengths: two rooms, long-standing teams, and a culture of flexibility.
“We’re already talking about team teaching, about planning for the room rather than just a group,” Donna explained. “We're going to end up with potentially five or six educators across the week that will manage a group of children, that's going to take great communication skills, documentation, sharing ideas.”
They’re taking this time to build the foundations before the full expansion of hours happens in 2028. Donna is leading this as an opportunity: a slow and steady phase-in that allows for reflection, planning, and, importantly, care for the educators navigating change.
“I used to feel uncertain with change,” she said. “But now I see that knowing what’s coming makes all the difference. I try to lead in that way too—sharing facts, making timelines visible, and encouraging questions. The hardest part of change is when you don’t know what’s going on.”
Deepening belonging through community and continuity
Donna speaks with pride about Greensborough’s strong reputation. Positioned next to the maternal and child health nurse and close to the town centre, the service is well known - and well loved - by local families.
“We’ve got families who move out of the area and still come back,” she said. “They do the drive because they’re so connected to us.”
The team’s work to ensure every family feels welcome is ever-evolving. They’re embedding Indigenous perspectives as everyday practice and continuing to explore ways to support multilingual families through visual displays, translated books, and language-matching where possible.
One German-speaking family recently asked for a particular group because their educator shared the same language. “It has a big impact on them being able to feel that sense of connection to us,” Donna said.
There's a strong sense of community amongst the families, and feeding into two main primary schools nearby creates further connection:
“We have parents helping other parents choose primary school for the first time.”
Kinder as a time of its own
While help with transitioning to primary school is a huge benefit, Donna is clear: the kinder years are not just preparation for school. They are a vital developmental phase in their own right. And the Best Start, Best Life reforms—particularly the introduction of 15 hours of funded three-year-old kinder—are already changing what’s possible.
“The difference is incredible,” she said. “These children have agency. They have a voice. They know they can stand up for themselves. They know they can do hard things.”
That phrase - “We can do hard things at kinder” - has become a kind of mantra. And it’s not just about children. It speaks to the whole Greensborough team, embracing change, supporting one another, and holding true to what matters most: relationships, belonging, and the power of early learning.
As Donna puts it: “It’s a privilege to see children more. And we’re ready.”