Learning for Life

Helping young Australians reach their full potential

Helping young Australians reach their full potential

Every child should have the opportunity to achieve all they are capable of.

Through no fault of their own, children experiencing poverty often start school behind their peers. Without access to the vital resources, opportunities, and support that all children need to achieve their best, they can fall even further behind ─ making it more difficult for them to stay fully engaged in their education and go on to employment, training, or further study.

Research shows Year 9 students from disadvantaged backgrounds are on average 4.5 years behind in reading and 3.2 years behind in maths compared to their more advantaged peers.²

Having The Smith Family’s support has definitely helped Shelby with his learning. He got really excited to go to school after he started receiving learning support, because he said that he was finally ‘getting it’. You could see the change in him – he was more confident with what he was doing at school.

Shelby’s mum, Sandy

What is Learning for Life?

What is Learning for Life?

The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program is an innovative, evidence-based program that is successful in achieving long-term outcomes for young people experiencing disadvantage.

Through targeted support that begins early in a child’s life and continues throughout their first two decades, Learning for Life keeps students engaged at every stage of their education by providing:

financial support to help families meet the cost of school essentials like uniforms, books, and excursions;
guidance and advice from a dedicated Learning for Life Coordinator to make sure students and their families have the practical and emotional support they need throughout their education; and
ongoing access to our targeted programs like Learning Clubs to help students catch up, and mentoring programs like iTrack to help build the skills to thrive at school and beyond.

The Smith Family does a wonderful job of opening a young person's eyes to the opportunities available to them, and that we’ll be there to support them in their journey to grasp that opportunity.

Darrin Allen, Program Coordinator

Making a Difference

We partner with more than 62,000 families through our Learning for Life sponsorships, empowering young Australians to achieve their full potential with access to targeted long-term support.

This support helps a child stay engaged with school and complete Year 12. Graduating from high school is linked to better employment, income and health outcomes, as well as greater social participation and the opportunity to be self-reliant in the future.

Take a look at some of the outcomes experienced by Australian students who have participated in our programs.

High school students who participated in Learning for Life in 2021 had an average school attendance of 82.9%.³

84% of Learning for Life students in Year 12 were employed or in study 18 months after graduating from high school.³

75% of students said that attending Learning Clubs helped them do better in class.⁴

You can read more about how Learning for Life is proven to improve educational outcomes for students living with disadvantage, in our report Improving the educational outcomes of disadvantaged young Australians: The Learning for Life program.

Download report

Our learning programs

Learning Clubs

A safe and supportive out-of-school learning environment where primary or secondary students can participate in activities that develop their academic and social skills.

Literacy programs

Providing resources and support to help children living with disadvantage achieve the required reading standard.

Numeracy programs

We support early years educators and community professionals in developing the maths skills of the children in their care so that they can establish the necessary foundation skills.

Technology programs

Providing children and young people living with disadvantage with the critical skills, access, and equipment they need.

Mentoring programs

Mentoring programs for students living with disadvantage that provide the encouragement they need to build aspirations for their future.

Work Experience programs

We provide work experience programs for students living with disadvantage, to help them explore their future career options and potential job opportunities.

Financial programs

Providing financial programs to help parents living in disadvantage build confidence, knowledge, and skills .  We also provide a fun, practical, and interactive program designed for high school classrooms, where young people engage in hands-on group activities to build financial literacy, make informed financial decisions, and understand how these choices may impact their future.

Arts programs

Providing students living with disadvantage access to arts programs to help support students'; engagement with school by increasing their creative skills, self-confidence, social networks and knowledge of post-school options.

Community programs

We partner with government, schools, families, and other service providers to improve educational outcomes for children.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs

Our work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities aims to keep children, families, and communities engaged in learning by providing positive educational experiences, opportunities to develop life skills, and access to role models. By collaborating with communities, schools, and government, we strive to be culturally responsive, effective, and holistic.

¹Poverty in Australia, 2022, ACOSS/UNSW Report.
² Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), NAPLAN results 20223
³2022-2023 TSF Annual Report
⁴ The Smith Family’s Learning Clubs Program Outcomes Summary, 2022.