MEMBER for Bathurst Paul Toole says more children in the Oberon district will have access to a quality early childhood education with the NSW Government's announcement of a $3650 investment in attendance-encouraging initiatives.
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Mr Toole said the funding - part of the NSW Government's Community Grants program - aims to increase the number of Aboriginal children and children from disadvantaged backgrounds attending a preschool program.
"Services across NSW were encouraged to apply for grants of up to $100,000 to support transport initiatives like new buses or vehicles to make it easier for children to get to a service," he said.
"They could also apply for grants of up to $10,000 to invest in a range of activities like breakfast programs and Aboriginal culture classes to further encourage preschool attendance.
"It's great to be able to announce the Oberon Children's Centre will receive this support to allow them to purchase cultural resources and flagpoles to support their Aboriginal Elder education program."
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Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said it is absolutely crucial for children to experience some kind of early childhood education prior to attending school.
"We know the cognitive, social and emotional benefits a child gains from attending an early childhood education service are incredibly valuable," Ms Mitchell said.
"As a government, we are committed to ensuring every child, no matter where they're from or what their background is, has access to an early childhood service.
"These grants have done a fantastic job of increasing participation in areas of high Aboriginal population or disadvantage, so I am thrilled we can continue to invest in this important initiative."
It comes after Oberon Children's Centre received a NSW Government grant of $415,405 in December to extend the existing facility, which will almost double its child placement intake.
The centre was a successful applicant of the NSW Government's Start Strong Capital Works Grants program.
Centre director Meredith Cox said at the time that she was excited for work to start.
"We're delighted to be the recipients of this grant money and have already had discussions with local builders for the project," she said.
"We look forward to expanding our operation and offering more children the opportunity to start their learning here."
Mr Toole said it was important to create new space for children in growing towns.
"Through the creation of more preschool places, even more children in Oberon will have access to a top quality early childhood education which will set them up for life," he said.
He said there were more children attending 600 hours of preschool in NSW than ever before.
