Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has welcomed news that seven preschools in the electorate will benefit from up to $15,000 in funding to go towards enhancing the quality of their service.
Ms Cooke celebrated the announcement of almost $100,000 in grants for Cootamundra electorate preschools with children and staff at Bunyip Preschool Harden on Friday.
“These preschools are showing an ongoing commitment to ensuring children in the Cootamundra electorate have access to top quality early childhood education, which, as the local member, makes me extremely proud,” Ms Cooke said.
Bunyip Preschool Director Heather Gammon said she applied for the grant to give the flooring a much-needed face lift.
“The current flooring is made up of old blue faded tiles which bring a coldness to the rooms and have a very dull look,” she said.
“We have planned to replace with a light vinyl wooden colour to uplift our rooms giving a warmth to the entire room making for a more pleasing aesthetic to the rooms.”
Around the electorate the total Quality Learning Environments investment in this round is $99,225. The following preschools were successful:
- Annette’s Place $15,000.00
- Ariah Park Preschool $15,000.00
- Bunyip Preschool Harden $15,000.00
- Cootamundra Preschool Incorporated $14,875.00
- Cowra Early Childhood Mobile Service $13,362.00
- Gundagai Preschool Kindergarten $13,688.58
- Junee RSL Memorial Preschool $12,300.00
Minister for Early Childhood Education Sarah Mitchell said she is extremely proud of the Quality Learning Environments fund and the response from the sector has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Not only will this funding improve the quality of the learning environment for children right across the state, parents can also rest assured that their children are having the best start to their educational journeys as possible,” she said.
“Preschools will be able to use this funding to cover items like shade cloths so children can play safely outdoors, kitchen gardens to teach children where their food comes from, or an outdoor jungle gym to encourage a child’s hand-eye coordination.
“I look forward to watching children all across the electorate thrive from this new funding.”
The Quality Learning Environments program was introduced in 2018 and is part of the NSW Government’s $332 million Start Strong Program which was introduced in 2016 and has been extended to 2021.
For more information, visit the Department of Education website.
