Tea Gardens Public School transitions OOSH to Amaroo, a local ECEC provider

Tea Gardens Public School families have had a challenging start to the year, with the out of school hours (OOSH) service not operating. 

Thankfully the situation seems to have a resolution on the horizon, with local early learning service Amaroo Early Learning Centre in the process of gaining approval to take over operations. 

When the OOSH service closed, Robert Guirguis, Amaroo’s Director, approached the school principal, who was able to connect them with the NSW Department of Education to commence the process. 

“We were very keen, as we believe that this is a service that the Tea Gardens community deserves, especially to support working families with children,” Mr Guirguis shared with News of the Area. 

“The approval process is quite time-consuming, as the safety and wellbeing of children is paramount and we need to provide evidence to the Department that we have the right policies and procedures in place.”

Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approvals, he continued, are essential to ensure that parents can access subsidised fees. 

Local parent Renee said she was “very thankful” to Amaroo for stepping in to save the service, given there are no other OOSH alternatives in Tea Garden or nearby Hawks Nest. 

Mr Guirguis hopes that Amaroo OSHC at Tea Gardens Public School will be operational in Mid-March 2024, offering before and after school care as well as vacation care.

“The staff are excited, dedicated and passionate about caring for children and can’t wait to open,” he said. 

“We have lots of great activities planned, and hope with the right level of support we will be able to provide this important service.”

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