Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Education
The Tasmanian Government is committed to supporting our youngest learners, and their families and carers, through our Child and Family Learning Centres.
These crucial community facilities provide vital support in the one place for local Tasmanian families.
Tasmania currently has twelve Child and Family Learning Centres statewide which have been experiencing an increase in demand and client complexity.
To meet these challenges and ensure more parents and carers can receive the support they need, we are increasing Centre Assistant staffing at the centres by an average of three days per week.
This increased resourcing will see Centre Assistant availability more than double at each Child and Family Learning Centre on average, meaning our dedicated Centre Assistants will be able to provide even more support for local families.
Vital services provided by Centre Assistants at our Child and Family Learning Centres include:
- Early learning and adult learning sessions, including Adjunct Care;
- Transport assistance to support the participation of families in early learning activities and essential services;
- Administrative assistance and preparation of teaching and learning materials to support the delivery of educational programs; and
- Helping maintain stores and equipment and ensuring an appropriate standard of cleaning in the kitchen and play areas.
We are continuing to progress six new Child and Family Learning Centres around the State, following an additional $6 million allocated to these projects in last year's State Budget taking total funding to $28 million.
These new centres are currently under development in Glenorchy, Kingborough, Sorell, East Tamar, Waratah Wynyard and in West Ulverstone, with completion due in 2023.
Importantly, this will mean a total of eighteen Child and Family Learning Centres operating in Tasmania, providing even more access to support for families and young children, particularly those experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage.
I would like to thank the incredible staff at all our Child and Family Learning Centres for their dedication and commitment to creating safe, inclusive learning spaces for our youngest Tasmanians.
