After 18 months in the planning, a partnership between the Catholic Education Office, Centacare and the Assumption School, and a $20,000 grant from the NSW Government, has made the vision a reality.

The Assumption OSHC co-ordinator Karen Wilkie, of Centacare, said the new service will provide care before school and after school for students at Assumption.

Initially, because the service won’t have transport, it will only be available to students at the school, but if the demand is proven, expanding the service to students outside the school is something all parties are open to.

The before school care service will operate from 7-9am, and the after school service from 3-6pm.

Breakfast will be served for students in the mornings and snacks in the afternoon.

Ms Wilkie said the service is expected to be well utilised by parents. 

“We did a lot of feasibility studies to test the interest in the service and a lot of parents really wanted it,” she said. “We’ve also had inquiries from other places so the need is clearly there.”

The service will operate out of the school hall, which has facilities to cater for 79 children.

“There is so much space. We have a licence for 79 students but ideally we would like to keep it to a more family-sized operation with around 20 to 30 students, at least in the first year,” Ms Wilkie said.

Assumption School principal Sue Guilfoyle is excited to see the vision become reality.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity, and we are very lucky to have it on site; it extends the care of the children in a familiar environment,” she said.

Member for Bathurst Paul Toole congratulated the school on its initiative.

With both mums and dads typically working, parents were often looking for out of school care, he said.

St Joseph’s School at Oberon also received $20,000 from the NSW Government to establish the out of school hours care services.