Ceduna in South Australia will be the next community to benefit from the rollout of the Turnbull Government’s Connected Beginnings program, giving local Indigenous children a better start to school.
The Connected Beginnings program helps prepare vulnerable children for school by supporting the delivery of early childhood, maternal and child health, and family support services in disadvantaged communities.
Alice Springs was the first community to commence under the Connected Beginnings program, with Ceduna and a small number of other high need communities to join the program over the coming months.
The proportion of Indigenous children considered to be developmentally vulnerable in Ceduna is above the national average. The Connected Beginnings program will help reduce this disparity and make a real difference to the lives of children and families in this community by connecting them to vital, practical services.
Connected Beginnings will create strong linkages in Ceduna between local schools, families and child care, maternal and child health and family support services. This is a great opportunity to ensure that families in Ceduna are being supported and that local children are ready for school.
The Australian Government is investing $20 million through Connected Beginnings to better support Indigenous children and disadvantaged families in areas of high needs.