When it comes to care and empathy Erskineville OSHC take a hands on approach

Educators and leaders at Erskineville OSHC, a Gowrie NSW service, have been on a quality improvement journey, with connection to the community identified as an area for the service to grow and develop in. 

In January 2022 the service began to reflect on how they could do more to engage with the local community, inviting children to participate in discussion and offer ideas about how they might make a difference for other community members. 

The children, many of whom enjoyed cooking experiences, wondered about how they might use this passion to support those less fortunate, which led the service to partner with the Newtown Anglican Church (NEAC) Food Bank. 

Two years and hundreds of meals later, the partnership is well established, with children cooking weekly to participate in the Food Bank’s outreach efforts. 

The children go through the kitchen each week, assessing the food on hand to minimise wastage before brainstorming new and creative ways to use the food they have available. 

Families and local businesses have also gotten behind the children, making donations of plastic containers, cooking utensils, ingredients, and even sharing cherished family recipes. 

Once the meals are prepared and frozen, the children write kind words and messages on the containers. Each Wednesday, they walk down to the church, just a few blocks away, to deliver their homemade meals to the food bank.

As well as giving the children an outlet for their culinary passions, the partnership, leaders at the service explained, has been a profound learning experience for the children, giving them first hand opportunities to develop empathy and compassion and to consider the needs of those who are struggling. 

“This initiative started with simple conversations between our educators and children,” leaders at the service explained. 

“By giving the children agency and autonomy throughout the process, they’ve given us so much more in return. The experience has not only enriched their lives but also strengthened our community bonds.”

Learn more about the service here. To read the original coverage of this story please see here.