Kids getting the best start

Making the transition from home to school is not always easy for children attending kindergarten but an initiative developed in the South West is set to help children make the best possible start to school.

Picture by SWDC: South Bunbury Primary School teacher Fiona Farren gets to work in her kindergarten as Anna Oades and Deanna Furze from the South West Development Commission take a look at the new resource package.

Created with the aid of funding from Royalties for Regions and the South West Development Commission and the support of Investing In Our Youth, the initiative provides a guide to establishing programs such as Play Cafes.

Open to local families, Play Cafes provide future students with the opportunity to become comfortable with attending kindergarten while giving families the chance to meet the teacher and talk to community health providers.

South Bunbury Primary School teacher Fiona Farren created the resource package after trialling the initiatives in her own kindergarten and at other schools.

‘‘Since we began the Linking Education and Families program, we have seen first-hand how initiatives such as Play Cafes can benefit both parents and children,’’

she said. Ms Farren said without support, starting kindergarten could be a stressful time for children and parents.

‘‘A positive start carries forward and all children and their families benefit from a supported entry,’’ she said.

‘‘For example, a calm and friendly beginning to school means that the child starts eager to continue learning and the parents are keen to support the school in providing experiences for their child.’’

South West Development Commission chief executive officer Don Punch said Royalties for Regions had helped get many community-based projects off the ground.

‘‘One of our priorities at the Commission is to invest in people and a focus for us in recent times has been supporting the development of South West children in their early years,’’ he said.