Three community preschool services in the Davidson electorate will benefit from new professional development opportunities for early childhood educators.
The Member for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea said St Ives Preschool Kindergarten, Gordon Community Preschool and Christ Church St Ives Preschool have successfully applied for NSW Government Professional Development Grants of $1,500 each for 2017-18.
“Investing in early childhood education prepares children for school and beyond, developing fundamental social, emotional and cognitive skills,” Mr O’Dea said.
“It’s vital that early childhood educators can develop their professional skills, and that’s exactly what these grants are for.”
“I congratulate St Ives Preschool Kindergarten, Gordon Community Preschool and Christ Church St Ives Preschool on their successful applications to professionally develop their staff,” said Mr O’Dea.
Children in 143 community preschools across NSW, most in remote and regional areas, will benefit from the distribution of funds through the scheme. The grant scheme is structured to ensure the investment goes to where it’s needed most, maximising the benefit for children and local communities.
Community preschools were invited to apply for the one-off grants, with priority given to rural and remote services, services with a high proportion of enrolments of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and those offering opportunities contributing towards teacher accreditation and peer-to-peer learning exchange.
The grants will be administered by the Department of Education. For more information on Professional Development Grants, visit https://education.nsw.gov.au/early-childhood-education/working-in-early-childhood-education/professional-development-and-scholarships/professional-development-grants
