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New playscape for beleaguered Goodooga Preschool
Freya Lucas
Mar 21, 2024
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The children, staff and families of Goodooga Preschool, located in remote western New South Wales on Yuwaalaraay Country, have faced much adversity of late, battling through drought and record flooding in the last five years.
Thankfully the hard times are becoming a distant memory thanks to the installation of a brand new outdoor area for the not-for-profit early childhood education service, jointly funded by the NSW Department of Education through its Start Strong Capital Works Crisis Fund.Thanks to the $179,613 grant the space is now a low maintenance play area which suits the unpredictable climate, and includes an irrigation system to support the preschool’s sustainability.
The new recreation area caters for up to 20 children, and includes a sandpit, undercover area, new turf and retreat spaces for those who need an escape from the hustle and bustle of the playground. Designed with the local First Nations community, the space is welcoming, and reflects the ambition of the service to ensure that culture is valued and represented in all aspects of the preschool.
Goodooga Preschool Director Jodie Watts said she was pleased that the new-look outdoor area has been completed and is now open for the community to enjoy.
“The playground was incredibly old and rundown, with small amounts of grass due to the recent drought,” Ms Watts said. “Before the update, both the educators and children did not want to go outside and preferred to stay indoors.”
The children especially seem to enjoy the yarning circle and will sit there for periods of time pretending to talk to all sorts of people, she added.
Goodooga Preschool is the only early childhood education and care (ECEC) service available to families in the region. All its staff and children are Aboriginal.
Learn more about Goodooga Preschool here.
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