Today we celebrate ten years of Child and Family Centres operating in Tasmania and acknowledge the important role they have played in the lives of thousands of Tasmanian children.
We know that a child’s early years are the foundation for building the skills needed for lifelong learning, engagement and participation in all aspects of Tasmanian life.
The centres offer a variety of critical services all in one place to support families with young children from birth to age five, and the model is internationally regarded as best practice for supporting a great start for children
As part of the day, I’m pleased to announce that all centres in Tasmania will be officially renamed as Child and Family Learning Centres (CFLCs).
This name celebrates the important role CFLCs play in supporting children with early learning through the provision of quality, play-based learning experiences that support successful transition to school.
In 2018, the Tasmanian Liberal Government committed $21 million to build a further six CFLCs in local communities around Tasmania, which will bring the total number of centres operating in Tasmania to 18, by 2023.
In 2020, we boosted these projects by providing an additional $7 million, taking the total capital budget to $28 million.
The Tasmanian Budget 2021-22 included $3.8 million to provide free access to speech and language pathologists, school psychologists and social workers for all Department of Education schools and CFLCs.
This commitment will provide a variety of critical services and much needed support to those families and young children experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage.
I would like to thank the staff at all our CFLCs for their dedication and commitment to creating such a safe and inclusive learning space for our youngest Tasmanians.