Somerton community to benefit from new preschool service

The new school term has brought excitement to the Somerton community, with the opening of its first preschool service in October.

Somerton and surrounding communities are set to benefit as Ooranga Family Resource Mobile Unit (FMRU) continues to bridge early childhood education gaps in the region. A new mobile preschool service is now open at the Somerton War Memorial Hall, offering 11 licensed places and providing local and high-quality early childhood education for children aged 3-5 years for the first time.

An essential service for the community, the Somerton Preschool will be the only dedicated early childhood education provider servicing Somerton itself, and an additional service to bolster those existing in Carroll, Manilla and the broader Tamworth LGA. 

“We are so excited to be able to access quality early childhood education on our doorstep,” said preschool parent, Ooranga Committee member and Bective-resident, Gil Burke.

“Previously, parents have had to travel into Tamworth itself to access early childhood services. The new preschool is going to make a real difference to our community, making use of existing infrastructure and giving families a truly local option for education.”    

The Somerton Preschool is now open and operating every Monday and Thursday. Enrolments for immediate start are still open, with eligible families able to access the preschool program free of charge. It complements Ooranga’s current playgroup service which operates fortnightly on Tuesdays at 10am. Somerton Playgroup welcomes families with children of all ages but places an emphasis on kids aged 0-3 years and preparing them to transition to preschool.

As a not-for-profit organisation, Ooranga has been delivering quality early childhood services for 46 years. The organisation has a strong focus on supporting rural and remote communities where no other early childhood providers exist, ensuring that children in regional areas receive the same educational opportunities as their urban counterparts.

“Ooranga has been part of the Somerton community, on and off, over many years,” said Leanne Pryor, Director at Ooranga FMRU.

“With our existing preschools now operating at capacity, we are always looking at ways that we can bridge education gaps for communities within our reach and deliver on Ooranga’s mission to meet increasing demand while giving our young learners a strong foundation for future education success. We are thrilled to now be able to deliver this for families in Somerton and surrounds.”

The Somerton Preschool will be Ooranga’s first service operating in the Tamworth LGA, and its second new service to open this year. It adds to Ooranga’s existing eight preschool services across the Liverpool Plains, Gunnedah and Narrabri Local Government Areas.

For more information, visit www.ooranga.com.au.