Support for Pre-School Education

Six early childhood services in the Goulburn electorate received grants allowing young Aboriginal children and children from low-income families to participate in 600 hours of quality early childhood education in the two years prior to school.

Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman announced that the grant recipients were SDN Children's Services, Crookwell Preschool and Lady McKell in Goulburn in addition to Big Fat Smile Group in Bundanoon, Robertson and Reynolds Street Goulburn.

“Grants of up to $10,000 have been approved for a range of activities to support participation by Aboriginal children and children from low-income families in a preschool program,” Mrs Tuckerman said.

“Our community has faced a number of challenges over the past few years. Early learning services play a critical role in supporting children and families. It’s fantastic to see this funding being made available to support the work of these services in the Goulburn electorate.”

This has been the first time Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services and Aboriginal Child and Family Centres operating in NSW have been included in the program. The funding may be used for a range of activities that improve participation in early childhood education, including working with local Aboriginal community members to conduct Aboriginal art programs, and providing breakfast programs.

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said these grants will enable services in the region to provide educational activities that will strengthen the foundations of children’s learning in those crucial years before school.

“The NSW Government is committed to increasing educational access to quality early childhood education services, particularly for children from low-income families and those from Aboriginal families,” Ms Mitchell said.

“They’ll also be able to provide access to specialised staff to deliver targeted support to children and their families.”

• Topics:

• Education / Training
• Government Grants / Funding