Preparing for the 2026 school year for children living with diabetes
Before we know it, the 2026 school year will be upon us.
Preparation for children starting at new childcare settings, kinders and school is well underway with transition and orientation days. If you are a family living with a child who has type 1 diabetes this can be a daunting time as you navigate what diabetes management for your child will look like in the education setting. The following information will hopefully help you with this.
This information can be applied to any education setting – be that childcare, kinder, school or before and after school care.
Background preparation
- Head to diabetesinschools.com.au to download the Back to school checklist.
- Ask your child’s diabetes treating team for a 2026 School Diabetes Action and Management plan. The updated plans are now available.
- Organise a time to meet with either the Centre Director or School Principal or Vice Principal, 2026 classroom teacher and any other key education staff to discuss your child’s new Action and Management Plan. It is important that everyone is on the same page about how this plan will be implemented during the school day. Key decisions should be made and documented. This meeting will take at least 1 hour, so make sure that you are allocated sufficient time. To ensure you are confident with what needs to be discussed at this meeting check out Meeting with your child's school information from Diabetes in Schools website.
- Make sure you have your child’s school hypo kits fully stocked, labelled and ready to go. Ensure your child has enough diabetes supplies such as blood glucose monitoring strips and ketone strips.
Professional development for education staff
It is important that any education staff who are working with your child, know about type 1 diabetes and how they can best support them with their diabetes care during the school day. There are a couple of different options available to education staff to learn more about type 1 diabetes.
The diabetesinschools.com.au website has free online learning modules, together with a range of other resources that can be accessed by families and schools. If your child attends either childcare or kinder, staff can still access the free learning modules by registering as a ‘General User’ of the program.
NEW in 2026 is an in-person professional development day for education staff called ‘Diabetes Day for Educators’. The Diabetes Day for Educators is a full day, in-person program designed to give educators the confidence to safely support children/students living with type 1 diabetes at their centres and schools.
Information covered during the day will help educators learn how to implement the child/students Diabetes Action and Management Plan.
Further information about this program and bookings details can be found here https://www.diabetescareplus.org.au/professional-development/education-workers/
Please let your child’s kinder, childcare or school know about this professional development opportunity.
School camp preparation
Having type 1 diabetes should not stop your child from taking part in school camp.
Ask the school for their camp dates for 2026. If camp is to be held during Term 1, you need to start planning with your child’s diabetes treating team and the school now!
Meet with the school staff to let them know that extra preparation and training will be required for them to support your child on camp. The school will need to provide you with a copy of the camp location, activity schedule and menu. This information will be used by your child’s Diabetes Treating Team to prepare a School Camp Plan. This is a separate plan to the day-to-day school plan.
Notify your child’s diabetes treating team as soon as possible when you know the school camp date so that they will have enough time to prepare your child’s School Camp Plan. Usually we would suggest 4-6 weeks, but at this busy time of year the more notice you can give the treating team the better, as they receive many plan and training requests.
Camp training for staff may be online; however, a practical training session will be required if insulin administration and/or glucagon injections are needed. This needs to be booked in early, so early planning and preparation is vital. Find out more information about school camps diabetesinschools.com.au/resources/school-camp-planning-families.
Reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are steps that the education setting will put in place so that your child is able to manage their diabetes across the day while participating fully in the school day and associated activities. Reasonable adjustments can include things such as being able to check a child’s glucose level whenever and wherever needed and having staff to administer insulin if required.
The use of mobile phones is a hot topic at both schools and education settings for younger children. For your child living with type 1 diabetes who requires a mobile phone or smart device as part of their diabetes management equipment, an exemption on medical grounds can be applied for.
The 2026 Diabetes Action and Management Plans include further information about this in the ‘Equipment Checklist’ section.
During your meeting with the education setting, check to see what they require so that this adjustment can be provided to your child.
Read more about reasonable adjustments diabetesinschools.com.au/resources/understanding-reasonable-adjustments.
Communication
Clear communication channels between home and the education setting are very important. Talk with the staff about how you will communicate with each other. Discuss what will be communicated, how often and by what method.
Taking the time to plan and prepare for your child’s return to an education setting helps towards a smooth transition for everyone. Please contact your child’s diabetes treating team or the NDSS helpline on 1800 637 700 if you need further help and advice on how to prepare for your child’s return in 2026.
Further resources
2026 Diabetes Action and Management Plans
Victorian Department of Education and Training - Diabetes Guidelines
Victorian Department of Education and Training - Diabetes policy
Renae Roll
Registered nurse (RN) and credentialled diabetes educator (CDE)
I have worked at Diabetes Victoria for 16 years as a Diabetes Nurse Educator. Prior to my role as a Diabetes Nurse Educator, I was an emergency nurse at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.
I am a parent to two children aged 12 and 15 years. In my spare time I like to exercise, cook, read and catch up with friends.
