Your local school, preschool or children's centre will often be looking for volunteers. There are lots of different roles and ways to help. To apply you need to contact the site you want to help.

Before you apply, you might want to think about when and how you can help.

Our online induction is available for volunteers to use. Talk to staff at your local site if you have any questions.

When you can help

When you help depends on what you want to do. If you’re available:

• on a weekday, you could help children with their reading, or work in the kitchen garden or library
• on weeknights or weekends, you could join a committee or help with a working bee
• only for an hour here and there, every little bit helps – no matter what you’re doing.

How you can help

These are just some of the ways you can help. You could:

• help children with their reading and numeracy
• mentor students
• help with a working bee
• share your culture
• coach a sports team
• help develop life skills
• help with camps and excursions
• work in the kitchen garden
• be on a committee
• work behind-the-scenes in the office
• help in the library
• help with fundraising.

There are many other ways to help. Before you apply to volunteer, think about what you can do to help.

Who can volunteer

Anyone can apply to volunteer.  However, it’s always up to a site leader to choose volunteers who will work well with the local community.

There are some expectations that our department has for our volunteers. Our staff will guide you through what’s involved.

Volunteers can come from all walks of life. You might be just who we need if you:

• are compassionate and kind
• care about children
• want to help young people feel confident and grow
• enjoy helping others.

You might love and want to share your passion for:

• words – big and small
• your family’s culture
• music and arts
• science, technology, engineering and maths
• books and reading
• sports, health and fitness
• gardening and food.

If you feel you have different skills, expertise and knowledge to offer, get in contact with the site you want to help. It’s never too late to start. No matter who you are or where you’re from, it’s all about wanting to help out. It’s in this spirit that the department actively encourages Aboriginal people and people from multicultural and diverse backgrounds to get involved.

Why volunteer with us

Volunteering benefits everyone involved. Before you talk to a local site about volunteering, you can find out why it's good to volunteer with us.

Information for site leaders

Templates and other site-leader information about volunteering is available on the department’s intranet (staff login required).