A BUTLER school and day care provider are among the first four Education and Care Networks chosen for an early childhood education initiative.
East Butler Primary School and Atlantis Group are part of the initiative funded through the National Partnership on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education 2016-2017 between the Commonwealth and State governments.
ALSO READ: Butler State Swim centre to open soon
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW“East Butler Primary School will work with Atlantis Childcare on this new initiative to develop stronger links and share professional learning opportunities,” the Education Department’s early childhood development and learning executive director Garry Hewitt said.
“The early years of education are so important and this is a great opportunity to support children’s learning and transition into school by developing closer relationships between our schools and long-term day care.”
The Butler selection resulted from the partnership between the school and provider.
Atlantis director Bob Hindle made the Nature Play area at the school, installing it over a weekend with help from the company’s general manager Ian Harvey and the school’s principal Wendy Gallagher.
The company also allows schools it works with to use the Atlantis Play Centre and its bouncy castle for fundraising events.
It provides a complimentary excursion to the Atlantis Life Program every year, a program focused around the provision of real-life professional adult job roles, in a safe and highly structured environment.
Other Education and Care Networks selected in June 2016 include Clifton Hills Primary School and Riverdale Child Care, Waikiki Primary School and My World Day Care, plus Cooinda Primary School and Goodstart Early Learning in Bunbury.
Each network selected this year receives $4290, with another $2000 provided in 2017, to enable them to release staff for shared professional learning, reciprocal site visits and contingencies.
The department plans to invite expressions of interests in early 2017 for another four networks.