A Connected Beginnings project to support more than 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children prepare for school will be set up in the northern suburbs of Adelaide.
The $1.8 million investment by the department will set up a Connected Beginnings site at Kaurna Plains Children’s Centre in Salisbury/Playford.
Connected Beginnings is an Australian Government grants program and Closing the Gap measure.
The program supports children from birth to school age and pregnant women. Through it, children can get steady, wrap-around support. This helps them meet the learning and development milestones needed for a smooth start to school and to get the best start in life.
A total of 24 Connected Beginnings sites have been established across Australia, including in Ceduna and Port Augusta in South Australia.
Last year, the Australian Government committed an extra $81.8 million to expand Connected Beginnings to 50 sites nationally by 2025. This will potentially benefit almost 19,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0-4 years.
Funding is used to get families access to culturally appropriate support services, including:
- maternal and child health
- early childhood education and care
- family support
- preschools and schools
- local government and council support.
Specific organisations are invited to apply for a grant to set up a Connected Beginning site. These sites are then community owned and led – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say in how activities funded by the grant are delivered to their people, in their own places and on their own country.
See the existing sites and read more about the Connected Beginnings program, including outcomes on our website.
Read the media release from Federal Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP, and Minister for Early Childhood Education, the Hon Dr Anne Aly MP.