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Joint initiatives

Early Learning and Care Centres

The Office is working with the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to provide five additional Early Learning and Care Centres in Queensland.

The five new centres will be in Weipa, Cairns, Townsville, Gladstone and Amberley. These areas were selected based on their ongoing need for additional and affordable early childhood education and care.

The Australian Government has provided over $9 million to establish the five centres which are due to be operational from 2010.

The program guidelines and fact sheets about the Early Learning and Care Centres initiatives are available on the Australian Government's early childhood website

Townsville and Gladstone Early Learning and Care Centres
The Queensland Office for Early Childhood Education and Care and the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) recently sought proposals for the establishment of Early Learning and Care Centres in Gladstone (including Tannum Sands) and Townsville. The request for proposals closed on 7 August 2009.

The Office is considering the proposals in collaboration with DEEWR.

Indigenous Children and Family Centres

The Office is working in partnership with the Australian Government to establish nine Indigenous Children and Family Centres across the state, to be progressively rolled out from July 2010.

These centres are being funded under the National Partnership Agreement for Indigenous Early Childhood Development which was endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on 2 October 2008.

The Indigenous Children and Family Centres will provide a mix of early childhood education, care, parenting, family support and child and maternal health services targeting the needs of local Indigenous children aged 0-8 years and their families. The centres will also support the COAG Closing the Gap target of ensuring access to a quality early childhood education program for all Indigenous four year olds in remote communities within five years.

Five centres will be established in regional/remote locations, and the remaining four will be in urban locations.

The locations of the new centres will be available following their endorsement by the Queensland and Australian Governments.

For further information on the centres visit the Australian Government's early childhood website .

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