South Australian families with children aged 0-5 years will be supported through the most critical years of a child's development through a new mobile app developed by the State Government.
The Early Years SA app will be the go-to for information for parents and carers about their children's health, learning, development and wellbeing, and will provide automated age-specific notifications, tips and access to local services.
The app delivers information directly to families, on demand, providing accurate and authoritative resources when they need it most.
Parents and carers are their children's first teachers and the Early Years SA app will provide them with the tools and information they need during the first five years of their children's lives. This is when their social and emotional, physical, language and cognitive development is at its most rapid.
The Early Years SA app will:
*Provide automated, age-specific notifications for families to remind them about child health and development checks, immunisations, dental checks and preschool and school enrolment.
*Provide easier access to information about resources and services available to South Australian families (such as Child and Family Health Services, Parenting SA resources, learning and play activities, family wellbeing and mental health services).
*Give parents and families practical tips and strategies to engage with children, including information on sleep, nutrition and family life and care.
The Department for Education partnered with a range of agencies to create the app, including CaFHS, Parenting SA, Wellbeing SA, DHS and SA Dental.
The app was developed by Chamonix, an award-winning end-to-end IT services business based in Adelaide at the innovation district at Lot Fourteen and operating nationally.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
We are reforming our education system to ensure early education and intervention are critical pieces of how we invest in our children and our future.
The first five years of a child's life are so important for their brain development and the Early Years SA app will help parents and carers navigate this by providing essential guidance when they need it most.
If you're a first-time parent – or about to be a fourth-time parent – there is no doubt that this app will be very handy.
As put by Blair Boyer
Families will have access to crucial information, resources, services, reminders and strategies at their fingertips, 24 hours a day, including in the middle of the night, when some of those critical parenting queries can arise.
Getting reminders for important appointments and milestones such as development checks and enrolment at preschool will also be great for busy families.
Parenting is one of the hardest roles we will undertake, and I know an app like this would have been most welcome in my household in those early years of parenting.
As put by Lockleys Children's Centre Director Nadia Carruozzo
As a new parent, it can be difficult to know what to expect, what is typical development and where to access trusted information and support.
Having access to an app that provides a reliable source of information and important reminders at any time of the day or night will be really helpful for families.
