Isolated Children’s Parent’s Association playgroup helps remote parents

The Isolated Children’s Parent’s Association runs nine playgroups in Central Australia, and for mothers like Kiya Gill, they have made a substantial contribution to their parenting and family lives. 

 

According to the ABC, Ms Gill first realised that daughter Quinn had difficulties with her legs when watching her playing alongside typically developing peers. 

 

Living with her family on Jervois Station, 350 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs in central Australia, has meant limited opportunities for checking in with doctors or child health nurses, and while parents might have worries about their child’s development, getting support can be challenging. 

 

Ms Gill believed if her family had access to early learning, they could have compared Quinn’s development to other children’s and realised something was wrong sooner. Her lived experience has made her a strong advocate for government-funded early learning in remote Australia, and for opportunities for families to have access to other families, and to early learning support. 

 

This year, the Alice Springs branch of the Isolated Children’s Parent’s Association held its first playgroup, through RAISEducation, after a survey of 50 families in the region found many families were missing a network to help care for their young children, the ABC recently reported.

 

21 families travelled for up to three hours to attend the playgroup, which was held at Territory Grape Farm, 180 kilometres north of Alice Springs.

 

Many of the children were very excited, as some of them go for weeks at a time without interacting with other children. While the experience was valuable and exciting, it was also tenuous, with the Alice Springs ICPA and RAISEducation only able to deliver its nine playgroups around central Australia this year because of grants, not government-funded support.

 

If the Northern Territory Government does not step up and start funding the playgroups, Ms Gill said, they are likely to be short-lived. 

 

“We haven’t seen any traction or any real commitment from the Northern Territory Government to pursue this and help us with funding, it just doesn’t seem to be on their agenda,” she said.

 

“If we don’t help support education in the bush, families are not going to stay in the bush and central Australia is the heart of the cattle industry in the Territory.”

 

In response, a Government spokesperson said that playgroup funding was largely the remit of the Federal Government. 

 

“The Department of Education supports and delivers early childhood education programs through preschool and Families as First Teachers (FaFT),” a spokesperson said.

 

FaFT is an early learning and family support program targeted at remote Indigenous families, but open to all families.

 

The closest FaFT to Jervois Station is more than 100 kilometres away at Harts Range, but the Department of Education spokesperson said the program there was in a “break” and was not expected to return until July.

 

“Preschool is delivered through School of the Air for families that are geographically isolated,” the Department spokesperson added.

 

To access the original coverage of this story, please see here.