Understanding and Overcoming Inclusion Barriers in OSHC

Inclusion is a right for every child, but in Outside School Hours Care (OSHC), achieving it isn’t always straightforward. Shared facilities, tight timeframes, and the demands of daily set-up and pack-away can all make consistent, inclusive practice harder to deliver, even when frameworks like My Time, Our Place point the way.

To support educators navigating these challenges, EduTribe has released a new resource, Inclusion Barriers in OSHC, a practical fact sheet developed for EduTribe members and the broader ECEC/OSHC sector.

The fact sheet covers:

• Common barriers to inclusion: physical environments, educator knowledge and training, attitudes and bias, communication challenges, and resource constraints.
• Practical, ready-to-use strategies: from visual supports and multicultural resources to accessible, flexible environments and emotional regulation spaces.
• A dedicated focus on set-up and pack-away (POP/PIUT) services, addressing the unique barriers of temporary and shared spaces, with strategies for defined learning zones, sensory-friendly design, resource rotation, and more.

Whether you’re working in a purpose-built OSHC space or setting up fresh each afternoon in a shared hall, this fact sheet offers grounded, practical guidance to help every child experience belonging, being, and becoming.

Access your free copy of the Inclusion Barriers in OSHC fact sheet