Education Views > Volume 17 - Number 5 >

Pre-prep

Page 14, Vol. 17, No. 4, May 2008 (By Carmel Carrick)

In a small Aboriginal community two hours drive south-west of Rockhampton, children as young as three-and-a-half are taking the first steps towards a better education for Indigenous students across Queensland.

The children are part of the pre-Prep early learning program at Woorabinda's Undoonoo Child Care Centre.

Centre manager Cheryl Barber said the children benefited from the program in many ways.

"Last year's children made huge improvements, ' Ms Barber said.

"This year their teachers at Prep also noticed they were doing much better."

"They are better prepared for school, the start of the school year is easier for them and they learn faster."

Pre-Prep is a part-time, targeted education program for children aged three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half living in discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Woorabinda, along with Mapoon on Cape York and Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, is trialling draft guidelines for the pre-Prep program.

These advances to the pre-Prep program are part of a $16 million, four-year Department of Education, Training and the Arts program.

Woorabinda 's pre-Prep program began in January last year to build on children 's early language skills, improve family engagement in early learning and establish smoother transitions into the school setting.

Staff involved in the program indicated improvements in the children 's knowledge and skills, increased ability to participate in activities and readiness for school.

Other results were better planning capabilities of pre-Prep staff, implementation of a wider range of activities for the children, increased use of oral language and more consistent routines and transitions.

Woorabinda 's pre-Prep, with an enrolment of 25 children, is run by the Woorabinda Aboriginal Council at the Undoonoo Child Care Centre. A total of 40 children attend the centre, which also offers before and after school care.

The pre-Prep program was set up as a partnership between Undoonoo and Education Queensland's Central Queensland District Office through consultations with families and community members to negotiate a learning program to suit their needs.

The childcare centre has a strong relationship with nearby Woorabinda State School, built through professional dialogue, reciprocal visits and support from the school 's Prep teacher in planning the pre-Prep program.

Ms Barber said the pre-Prep program had been a great success for the children, their families and staff.

"We always include the children 's culture in their education with activities like flag painting and have a strong focus on nutrition," Ms Barber said."

"Parents are asked to bring a piece of fruit for the pre-Prep group to share at morning tea so they learn about healthy eating. They take home what they've learned here and use it in other parts of their life."

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