By Callum Ludwig
Gladysdale Primary School is set to offer an outside school hours care service from Term One 2023 after successfully receiving a state government grant.
Warburton Primary School also received the grant and both schools are set to help service students and their families who have previously had to travel further down the Warburton Highway to access the service.
Principal Tara Jenner said the school was really hoping for the grant to come through and it was fantastic to hear they were accepted.
“It’ll change our school and we are so excited. Everything is getting organised and ready to go for next year and it will be held in the fire refuge building at the back of our school,” she said.
Gladysdale Primary School, along with 120 other schools will receive up to $75,000 each year over the next two years to deliver the service and to provide support for costs including resources or equipment, setup and administration, staffing, training and transport.
Ms Jenner said it is really important to give parents another choice.
“Before we had the before and after school care, we had children that had to go past our school in order to get to before and after school care or they had to travel on a bus to go to a different care centre, which parents were not that thrilled about,” she said.
“Having children in one place at school will help parents tremendously. The School Council were thrilled, they were very happy to accept the expression of interest and are keen for it to be ready to go. We’ve had about four families already saying as soon as it opens, they’ll put their children in.”
Gladysdale Primary School’s outside-school-hours care program will be run by Melbourne-based provider OSHClub who will run engaging and interactive activities for kids every day, supply snacks, assist with homework and look at every individual child and help with their social and emotional needs.
Ms Jenner said as enrollments in the program increase, the school will also increase the availability of care.
“We hope to have before, after and school holiday vacation care, it’s very important for students and their families. Many of our children were spending up to half an hour on a bus before they even got to before and after school care, so they were very tired before they even get there,” she said.
“To be able to go straight there, see what’s going on, see their carers every single day that are the same people consistently who know the rules, I think it will make such a difference for them.”
