STUDENTS at Towri MACS raised their flags on Monday as part of National Closing the Gap Day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The child care centre held at flag raising ceremony to honour the work and commitment their Aboriginal community, both past and present who have helped advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children rights in health and education.
Director of Towri MACS Child Care Centre, Courtney Glazebrook said while the Closing the Gap policies had made significant improvements in health and educational outcomes for Indigenous children in recent years, there was still a long way to go.
Ms Glazebrook said it was vital that long term investment in early childhood should be the focus of any government’s Closing the Gap policy.
“The first five years of a child’s life provides the foundation for who they will later become,” she said.
“Closing the Gap policies must address community needs at a grass roots level and service provision that is holistic and responsive to community needs.”
Ms Glazebrook said it was timely to consider the importance of the needs of Indigenous and Torres Strait children especially as new childcare reforms come into being.
As part of the reforms Towri MACS funding will shift towards the new childcare subsidy.
As Towri moves towards the new childcare subsidy, Ms Glazebrook said the focus will be on sustaining the philosophy and core values of MACS services and upholding the cultural integrity of Towri in providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with the opportunity to participate in high quality early childhood education.
“Towri is a culturally safe early learning service where Indigenous children learn about their people’s history and culture and become strong in their identity and Indigenous ways of knowing.
“Children engage in culturally rich and appropriate educational programs,” she said.
Ms Glazebrook said she is working with other services in providing support and preparing families and the community into the transition to the new childcare study and to address concerns about the cultural complexities of the childcare reform.