News

'Emergency Kits' for district kindergartens

Mon, 06 Jun 2016 07:50:00

“Emergency packs” of food and clothing are being delivered to district kindergartens to help ensure all children have the opportunity to get the most out of their pre-school days.

Mallee District Aboriginal Services is delivering the packs to all district kindergartens from this week, which contain healthy snack foods, warm clothes and supplies of underwear for the “inevitable pre-schooler emergencies”.
MDAS Early Years Early Intervention and Education team leader Marg Sharman said the packs would support both indigenous and non-indigenous families who struggle to access or maintain kindergarten program attendance.
“We know there are children who don’t attend kindergarten regularly because their parents struggle to afford appropriate food or clothing to send with their child,” Ms Sharman said.
“And we’ve also found that some children were arriving at kinder without having had breakfast,” she said.
“That’s a tough way for a little one to try to learn and do their best and MDAS wanted to work with these parents so their children have the best possible chance to succeed both socially and emotionally.”
MDAS Kindergarten Assistant Della Walker works with every kindergarten in the region to support teachers with programs that include and recognise Koori culture.
“That means all children can enjoy the benefit of learning about and enjoying Aboriginal culture,” Ms Sharman said.
“Della is very popular with students and teachers alike and the kinders and MDAS value the role she plays in educating and improving the social and emotional wellbeing of all the children,” she said.
Ms Sharman said the Emergency Packs idea had come from Della’s interactions with local children and MDAS and its Early Years team had worked with local kindergartens on the initiative.
“We hope that it will help families to enjoy the kinder years more and enable their children to be ready to enter school and succeed.”