In August last year, Bruny Island and four other Tasmanian locations were announced as trial sites for a kindergarten for three-year-olds. Bruny Island doesn't have any form of childcare, so locals with young families were keen for the program to get underway this year, as promised.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Tisha Archer has her hands full.
00:07Her family of four moved to Bruny Island four years ago and soon grew to six when twins
00:13came along.
00:14It's been wonderful in all the ways that a rural community can be fantastic for kids.
00:19Our older kids have got lots of independence and the younger kids get to experience nature
00:24in all its glory.
00:27But island life comes with challenges.
00:30There's been no childcare available for four years.
00:33So when the state government announced last year that Bruny Island was to be one of five
00:38trial sites for a kindergarten for three year olds, Ms Archer was excited about being able
00:43to send her twins for 15 hours a week.
00:46It's really about finding a balance for the mental health of the parents in our community
00:51and supporting them and their ability to make an income and a living, while also giving
00:57the kids the best opportunity to interact with other kids as well.
01:00The community believed the kinder would be up and running for fourth term last year.
01:04But after two years of meetings, there's no progress.
01:08The three year old kindergarten would be here at the school, but an existing building needs
01:13significant renovations to be fit for purpose.
01:16The Education Department says the proposal is being reconsidered and it will continue
01:21working with the community to determine a solution.
01:25Well it's terrible for Bruny because they've got no childcare services, they've got no
01:28support whatsoever and they got a promise at the beginning of 2023 that there would
01:33be kinder services that year and they've been going in good faith every two months trying
01:39to find out, you know, will it happen, won't it happen.
01:42They raised this.
01:43We got excited about it.
01:46We absolutely want it.
01:47Waiting for a program to give parents a hand and children a head start at education.