Access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Alice Springs has expanded with the opening of a new community-led service.
The Todd Street Child Care Centre, led by the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Aboriginal Corporation (Congress), will provide high-quality, culturally responsive ECEC for up to 37 additional local children.
Congress has been delivering comprehensive primary health care, advocacy and support for Aboriginal people in Mparntwe and surrounding remote communities for more than 50 years. Its early years programs focus on improving developmental outcomes for Aboriginal children.
This new site builds on the services offered by the long-established Congress Ampe Kenhe Apmere Gap Road Childcare centre.
The Todd Street Child Care Centre is funded under an almost $30 million expansion of the Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) Restricted Expansion Program. The program prioritises First Nations-led, community based services in remote and very remote locations, with capacity building support from SNAICC – National Voice for our Children.
Minister for Early Childhood Education, Senator Dr Jess Walsh, said:
‘The opening of the Todd Street Child Care Centre is an important day for First Nations children and families in Alice Springs, providing greater access for First Nations children in the community who need it most.’
Read the Minister’s media release.
Learn more about the CCCF Restricted Expansion Program.