Published on Friday, 19 July 2024 at 4:21:41 PM
The City has been announced as a recipient of the Department of Communities’ Attraction and Retention Packages for Regional Childcare Educators Program.
It has received $74,654.70 for the Goldfields Professional Development Project, which the City will deliver in partnership with the Shires of Coolgardie and Leonora. The project will fund various professional development opportunities for early childhood education and care educators (ECEC) in the three Goldfields Local Government Areas in 2024-25.
The project acknowledges the difficulties in accessing professional development within the early childhood education sector in the remote Goldfields region. This was raised as a key need and concern by stakeholders at a Goldfields ECEC round table convened by the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission (GEDC) last year, and has informed the City’s grant application. Grant stakeholders include the three LGAs, the GEDC, Central Regional TAFE, and multiple ECEC centres.
City Mayor Glenn Wilson said the funding showed the commitment of local and State government to ensure access to quality ECEC services in regional communities.
“The early childhood education and care sector is a crucial part of our Goldfields community and economy, but bringing in and keeping a high-quality workforce can be challenging in regional areas such as ours. This funding will help attract and retain trained staff to support this important sector, providing a bright future for our community’s youngest members and allowing parents and carers to return to the workforce.”
The City will seek additional feedback from ECEC stakeholders about the most needed areas of professional development.
Goldfields Professional Development Project
The project will fund various professional development opportunities for early childhood education and care educators in the Goldfields in partnership with the Shires of Coolgardie and Leonora.
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