KU Annual Report KU Annual Report 2019 | Page 18

ANNUAL REPORT 2019 SOCIAL POLICY AND INVESTMENT Where it matters most KU 20 19 KU has a long and proud history of supporting the most vulnerable in our community, in particular, the inclusion of children with complex or additional needs, or those who have been marginalised and underrepresented in early childhood education settings. After almost 125 years of work in this area, KU is recognised as a leader in this field, however there is always more to do and learn, and we continue to explore new ways to increase our social impact. As part of our Strategic Plan 2017- 2019, KU’s social impact objective was to deliver, increase and celebrate the positive social impact that we achieve through defined, targeted and increased social investment. Throughout 2019, we are very proud to have invested $1.81m into social impact programs, or 63% of our 2018 operating surplus. We are increasing our focus on supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities. In 2019, 200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children accessed early childhood education through KU services, with these children and families being supported by KU’s specialist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs team. Since launching our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2016, KU has taken positive steps on our journey towards reconciliation. By the end of 2019, 113 KU services had completed their individual centre RAPs, providing each centre with a framework to support a continued progression of genuine practices of reconciliation and implementation of RAP processes. 86 OF KU CENTRES HAVE COMPLETED THEIR INDIVIDUAL CENTRE RAP 12