Early childhood education facilitators from the remote community of Warburton will now have access to a bunch of new learning resources with thanks to the Royalties for Regions Community Chest Fund.
Wendy Duncan MLA, Member for Kalgoorlie, said that the Warburton Community Playgroup provides an essential service for newborns to 4 year olds aimed at giving parents the responsibility for getting their children ready for school.
“It is a main contributor in bringing stakeholders together from the community to strengthen the network of support around the children and the learning resources will enhance this model and provide educators and trainers with that same level of support,” Ms Duncan said.
The playgroup has been operating five mornings per week since 2010 promoting routine along with the opportunity to play and learn together. Daily structure includes inside play, morning tea, health time, story time, outside activities, packing up and home time. An adult caregiver must be present with the child/children that they bring promoting a holistic learning environment which can be modelled outside of playgroup.
Playgroup coordinator, Anne Shinkfield, said that the group are very pleased to have the opportunity to update the ‘Working in Early Childhood’ learning resources to current training outcomes with the Royalties for Regions funding.
“With limited options for training in remote communities such as Warburton, these resources which have proven to be successful in supporting the workplace training of both AIEOs and adult playgroup participants, will be a welcomed benefit,” Ms Shinkfield said.
Ms Duncan said that when the project is completed the learning resources will be available as an e-learning resource on the training resource website of the Department of Training and Workforce Development, meaning that the resources will be available to a wider audience.
The playgroup in Warburton is a great success story making a difference to the lives of children, parents and the wider community. A documentary about the early year’s program is currently available to watch at http://ictv.com.au/video/item/3466.
Wendy Duncan MLA and Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku President, Damian McLean, showing one of the Playgroup resources.
For media enquiries contact Wendy Duncan MLA on 0438 782 034
