Mary Queen of the Family early learners benefit from funding boost

The children from Mary Queen of the Family Catholic Early Learning Centre in the Sydney suburb of Blacktown will benefit from over $20,000 in funding which was presented to them by  NSW Member for Prospect Hugh McDermott in March. 

Mary Queen of the Family Parish Catholic Early Learning Centre (CELC) has received funding to continue their work in laying down foundations for life-long healthy habits of the children in their care, and, in turn, their families and the wider local community, with Director Donna Harding explaining the importance of community context in shifting patterns. 

Ms Harding sees first hand the poor nutrition, decreased physical activity and increased sedentary play in the local area, outlining the services role in aiming to reduce the health impacts of obesity, nutritional deficiency and poor dental health in preschool children by creating healthy attitudes towards food and physical health to last a lifetime. 

The service will use the funding to encourage children to get ‘hands on’ with child size accessories, sharing favourite recipes, and learning about food from cultures around the world. As well as health and nutrition benefits, Ms Harding explained how cooking and preparing food will develop foundational mathematical skills, scientific enquiry and cultural awareness.

Funding came courtesy of a grant from the NSW Government under the Community Building Partnership Program, for refurbishing the centre’s existing kitchen facilities, with children in the service presenting Dr McDermott with a thank you card they had created. 

The NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership Program focuses on infrastructure projects that deliver positive social, environmental and recreational outcomes, while promoting community participation, inclusion and cohesion.

More information is available here.