Aboriginal children and children from low income families in the Dubbo electorate will have additional support to participate in 600 hours of quality early childhood education in the two years prior to school.
Nationals Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said five services will receive grants of up to $10,000 to support preschool students to engage and learn.
“We know the first 2,000 days set a child up for life, and those two years before school are especially important,” Mr Saunders said.
“Between bushfires and COVID-19, 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, so it’s fantastic to see this funding being made available to support the work of these services across our region.”
Successful recipients include:
- Dubbo and District Preschool Kindergarten
- Buninyong Preschool
- Goodstart Early Learning Dubbo – Wheelers Lane
- Dubbo Christian Preschool
- Maranatha Gunyah Intergenerational Learning Centre
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.
Kristen McWhirter is the business operations manager for Buninyong and Dubbo and District Preschools, which works with a vast variety of families from culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse backgrounds.
“The funding is extremely exciting as it creates more opportunity for us to broaden our cultural resources and knowledge, and provides further opportunities for our low income and vulnerable families to be able to access preschool,” Ms McWhirter said.
For more information, visit the Department of Education website.
