Dubbo’s vulnerable children to be supported to access ECEC thanks to funding

Children from low income families and First Nations children in the New South Wales Dubbo electorate will have additional support to participate in 600 hours of quality early childhood education (ECE) in the two years prior to school thanks to grants of up to $10,000 via the Community Grants stream from Department of Education NSW. 

Five services in the Dubbo electorate will benefit from the grants, which local MP Dugald Saunders said reflect the importance of the first 2,000 days in lifelong outcomes for children. 

“Between bushfires and COVID-19, our community has faced a number of challenges over the past few years. Early learning services play a critical role in supporting children and families, so it’s fantastic to see this funding being made available to support the work of these services across our region,” he added. 

Successful recipients include:

• Dubbo and District Preschool Kindergarten
• Buninyong Preschool
• Goodstart Early Learning Dubbo – Wheelers Lane
• Dubbo Christian Preschool
• Maranatha Gunyah Intergenerational Learning Centre.

Funding will be used by the services for a range of activities that improve participation in early childhood education, including working with local Aboriginal community members to conduct Aboriginal art programs, and providing breakfast programs.

Buninyong and Dubbo and District Preschools business operations manager Kristen McWhirter said the funding represents an extremely exciting opportunity for the recipients. 

“It creates more opportunity for us to broaden our cultural resources and knowledge, and provides further opportunities for our low income and vulnerable families to be able to access preschool,” Ms McWhirter said.

For more information on the grants visit the Department of Education website.