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Nearly 200 extra early learning places created through Far West expansion
Freya Lucas
Nov 11, 2024
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Nearly 200 additional early learning places will be created in the Far West of New South Wales, supporting families in communities such as Broken Hill, Bourke and Cobar to access early childhood education and care (ECEC).
Over the next 18 months, 44 additional childcare places will be created in Broken Hill, 40 in Bourke and 102 in Cobar – a total of 186 additional places.Delivered via the NSW Government’s Regional Development Trust Fund’s Western NSW Workforce Activation Package, $5.6 million will be made available to successful service providers immediately.
“This program is a win-win, and one of the best things a government can invest in,” Premier Chris Minns said.
“Not only does it increase access for children in our state to quality care and education, it also removes one of the barriers facing parents who may want to re-enter the workforce or enter it for the first time.”
A further $4.4 million will be made available to further expand childcare places across western NSW early next year.
Busy Kids Childcare – Broken Hill
Over $1.4 million will be invested in Busy Kids Broken Hill to double existing capacity from 44 to 88 places for children aged birth to six years of age, creating nine additional full-time jobs.
This investment will support the construction of a new adaptable long day care classroom as well as other necessary centre upgrades to increase its capacity and service delivery.
The funding will also allow for the employment of additional staff and programs to support their professional development, wellbeing and retention.
“We are thrilled and incredibly grateful to receive this grant, which with our existing plans will assist Busy Kids to more than double our childcare capacity and support even more families in our community,” Director Jenny French said.
“This funding will help us to create up to twelve new staffing positions, build a flexible new daycare classroom, and make improvements to our facilities.”
“It will also support ongoing professional development and well-being initiatives for our staff, helping us maintain a nurturing and high-quality environment for the children in our care.”
Cobar Shire Council
102 additional childcare places, and 18 additional jobs will be created in Cobar, with over $1.3 million being provided to Cobar Shire Council to support locally run childcare services.
This funding will support relocating Cobar Out of School Hours care from a shared hall to a dedicated facility at the Kubby House Childcare Centre.
Currently, the service operates in a rented church hall, causing frequent interruptions to the service to accommodate other users.
Cobar Shire Council will also undertake work to expand the number of Family Day Care educators in the community. Specifically, the Council will use this Government funding to cover the costs associated with establishing educators including covering CPR and First Aid training, working with children checks, public liability insurance and professional development sessions.
A comprehensive attraction and retention package will also be developed, which will include relocation assistance, rental assistance and formal training plans.
Bourke and District Children’s Services
$1.85 million will be utilised by Bourke & District Children’s Services to create 20 additional early learning places for children aged birth to three years of age, and four full time jobs.
This work will include the construction of a new early learning classroom to accommodate the children, with three child accessible bathrooms and two craft sinks.
To support staff recruitment and retention, relocation support will be offered to attract new staff and retention bonuses will be available to encourage long term service.
Bourke & District Children’s Services – Out of Hours Care
More than $900,000 is being invested to support Bourke & District Children’s Services establish a 20-place Out of School Hours Care program, operational five days a week for 40 weeks of the year.
Infrastructure improvements will be made to the services facility to ensure it is fit for purpose, including replacing the roof and installing a new kitchen for child food preparation.
A professional early childhood consultant will also be retained to ensure this new service is established to operate at the highest possible standard.
Comprehensive training and development programs will be provided to upskill staff, as well as relocation expenses offered to attract staff and retention bonuses for long term care providers.
“I’ve heard countless stories of essential and skilled workers with young families who had considered making a move to one of our fantastic regional communities but were concerned about being able to access childcare. My genuine hope is that news of these extra places helps them to take that leap,” Mr Minns said.
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