New First 5 Forever funding available for your council

State Library is excited to announce that the new Service Level Agreement (SLA) for First 5 Forever is now available for 2019-2021.

The new SLA will take the place of the old Best Start four year agreement which expires on the 31 December 2018. To continue to participate in First 5 Forever and receive your first allocation of annual funding, your council needs to sign the agreement and return both copies to State Library.

You’ll notice some changes in the new agreement and the guidelines based on consultation and feedback from council staff so we’ve created a Frequently Asked Questions page to address the main changes in the SLA and the new funding allocations. The guidelines are now much shorter and have been reviewed to reflect a more flexible delivery model.

New in 2019 are the opportunities for councils to apply for First 5 Forever project grant funding that can be used in combination with your existing funding, other State Library grants or as a stand alone project.  State Library will also be providing opportunities for councils to be involved in Community Literacy Projects to be delivered in partnership with public libraries and IKCs. The objective of the Community Literary Projects is to enable Queensland families to share Queensland stories, songs and rhymes. Collaboration and co-delivery will be at the core of each project so State Library and councils can share expertise and skills for a highly engaging, deeply local outcome.  These projects are investments in learning and early literacy and will provide a range of partnership possibilities which we’ll share with you in 2019.

We look forward to continuing to work with all Queensland councils to deliver this wonderful program. To find out more or ask any questions regarding the SLA or the ongoing delivery of First 5 Forever please contact the team on first5forever@slq.qld.gov.au or 3870 7807