Community Nurses in Preschools

Project summary:

Following the success of the Community Health Nurses in Primary Schools (CHNiPS) project, the funding that the Victorian Department of Health has provided has allowed for the program to be expanded to early years education in addition to primary schools. The Community Nurses in Preschools program will have the following objectives:

• Support disadvantaged preschool children to access healthcare:
  • Within preschool: via consultations, primary care and overseeing action plans
  • Outside preschool: facilitating appointments, telehealth, logistics and liaison
• Screen and refer children to services as appropriate
• Preschool nurses build and sustain positive relationships within the preschool community
• Preschools are equipped with supportive evidence-based health education and resources through their nurse

The expansion into preschool settings will allow for nurses to build connections to both children and their parents at an earlier age. This will build trust between parents and healthcare providers at an earlier stage in life which will lead to better health outcomes for their children in the future. In addition to this, health issues are able to be identified before starting primary school, which will help limit the impact these issues could have on children’s education.