All ready for preschool in Central Australia

The Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, in Alice Springs, is the largest and oldest Aboriginal community controlled health service in the Northern Territory.

The organisation provides a range of health and support services to the area, including the successful Preschool Readiness Program, which is funded by the Australian and Northern Territory Governments through the Alice Springs Transformation Plan.

The success of this program was highlighted recently in the Closing the Gap: Prime Minister’s Report 2013.

After only two years of operation, the Preschool Readiness Program has helped increase the number of at-risk Aboriginal children in Alice Springs who attend preschool, and recently received an award for ‘promoting healthy childhood and preventing chronic disease’ at the 2012 Chronic Disease Network Recognition Awards.

Judith Ansell is one of two Aboriginal family support workers on the Preschool Readiness Program team, which also includes a psychologist, a case manager and a registered nurse.

“The families we connect with want the best for their kids, but many face challenges that limit their ability to get the children off to a good start,” she said.

“We focus on making sure we offer the right type of support for the right families.

“Some families need no help, while some might need help completing enrolment forms and finding the right schools. Other families struggle a lot with behavioural or emotional problems, and our program has been developed specifically for these families.

“When I see the happy faces of these children and the proud faces of the parents who have gone through our program, I have a lot of hope for their future.”

The program includes home visits to talk to families about school options, offer transition support and connect families with their local school communities.

These visits also help families organise comprehensive health and developmental screening for their children so that health issues, such as skin conditions or hearing problems, are identified and treated before they start school to help get kids off to a good start.

Theadora Nelson has two children in the program, and said she is pleased with the results.

“I think it’s really good that my kids are going to Teppa Hill Preschool with the help of the Congress Preschool Readiness Team,” she said.

“They get along with other kids really well, they enjoy the activities, they are learning and having lots of fun. They go home and tell other little kids what they do at school. I think it’s going to help them with their future.”