Our Story

The By Five Early Years Initiative was instigated by the Wimmera Southern Mallee (WSM) Regional Partnership in response to poor early years indicators for children across the region. Every child deserves a safe, healthy and enriching start in life, however a child born in a rural area is less likely to receive that start.

The WSM covers five Local Government Areas in the west of Victoria.

Initial efforts commenced in 2017, with several hundred community members, service providers and leaders from across the region committed to working together to effect service system change.

In 2021 a four-year funding commitment from the Victorian Government Department of Education was made, enabling further place-based actions to be progressed.

A commitment to working with local providers and communities, alongside researchers, to co-design changes that work for and with our rural children was made.

With the permission to be flexible and adaptable, we are testing and trialling local ideas that create efficiency and improve access for our children. We are also identifying and advocating for system and policy changes that unintentionally create barriers for our community.

We have partnered with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s Centre for Community Child Health and the Royal Childrens Hospital, Melbourne, to guide our work and support communities in their desire for better outcomes for their children.