That ICPA (Aust) advocate to the Minister for Early Childhood Education and relevant early childhood organisations to deliver regular and reliable appropriate early childhood programs for highly vulnerable and remote locations across Australia.
Cunnamulla is a remote and rural community in southwest Queensland. This community has continued to struggle to achieve high quality early childhood programs for many years despite the efforts from supportive groups and organisations.
The community has seen small and short investments into the early childhood space that has provided no reliable or regular programs.
In Queensland, the RAFS (Remote Area Families Service) have visited the area in late 2024, hosting 2- 3 property-based playgroups. However, this has not continued, Cunnamulla ICPA has reached our multiple times to RAFS and have had no response.
The KEYS (Keeping Early Years in the Spotlight), an initiative by the Schools Plus Program was unable to continue its goals with the loss of key personal and the dramatic impacts of COVID. They KEYS group felt unsupported by the local early childhood and education and care office, with promises of support and no follow up. The current remainder of funding is being used for a playgroup that is operating once a week for families however there is significant uncertainty as to what happens when the pool of funding for this group is complete. Estimated to be some time in Semester 2, 2025. The Queensland’s first five forever program that was run at the Cunnamulla Library for families is no longer running and has been missed by many in town and remote families.
The Gidgee Kids Daycare centre in Cunnamulla has noted some improvements in staffing and the organisation of children’s rooms, however, continues to fight for appropriately trained staff, as current operations limit the spaces available to families. This impacting not just children’s early childhood experiences but the ability for families to enter the local workforce. This in turn creates a decline in the community’s population, with families leaving town to access care for their children. The centre has had incredible difficulties in the establishment of a consistent kindergarten program having severe impacts on children’s preparation for transition to school.
Cunnamulla Aboriginal Corporation for Health provides ongoing health services weekly to families with the support of Bush Kids, however parents and families are not receiving regular communications and feel their health concerns are not being recognised or addressed until their child is reaching school.
Conversations around Kath Dickson toy library have begun but Cunnamulla ICPA local members and other key community stakeholders have not been included in these conversations and are unsure what this means for Cunnamulla and surrounding families.
In previous years we have seen the closure of mobile playgroups that have supported isolated families on properties. Again, a small investment saw a mobile playgroup return in 2019, with only a commitment of funding for 12 months, this included an injection of educational resources that were later inaccessible when the project came to its conclusion.
The AEDC 2024 data continues to be unavailable for community to use in conversations for strategic planning for early childhood programs that influence successful transitions to school. Our community in 2021 had the highest birth rate per capita in the country yet we have no consistent or sustainable early childhood programs.
Our community needs regular and reliable programs where early childhood and families are at the forefront of their organisations mission.
