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• $10.9m to provide new buildings, refurbishments & classrooms at centres to help families in disadvantaged areas

• 75 schools eligible to receive grants of up to $10,000 for support programs

Education Minister Liz Constable today announced details of capital works for 10 new Child and Parent Centres at public primary schools to provide vital services to help families nurture their children across Western Australia.

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The State Government will spend $10.9million on new buildings and refurbishments to create facilities for the centres to provide programs and services to benefit young children in disadvantaged areas.

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The capital works form part of a $28.8million investment plan over the next four years to provide integrated services for children and parents.

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Each Child and Parent Centre will develop a suite of services and programs to meet the needs of local families and might include such services as child health checks and referrals by a nurse, parenting information and programs, counselling and family support delivered by school psychologists, playgroups and early learning programs with parental involvement and allied health services such as occupational therapy, speech therapy and physiotherapy.

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?Each of these centres will provide support and services to some of this State?s most vulnerable children and their families,? Dr Constable said.

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?The centres will ensure that, rather than children playing catch-up when they start school, they are well-prepared to go into pre-primary and achieve their potential.

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?With public schools in almost every community in WA, it makes sense to establish these centres at school sites where they can be easily accessed by families.?

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The Government will invest an estimated $1.5million in capital works at each of the following schools:

• Challis Early Childhood Education Centre

• Neerabup Primary School

• Roseworth Primary School

• Westminster Junior Primary School

• Dudley Park Primary School

In addition, Calista and Carey Park primary schools will each receive a new purpose-built building worth $1million each.

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South Hedland Primary School will receive a $600,000 refurbishment and Brookman and Warriapendi primary schools will each benefit from a $400,000 upgrade to create special facilities to form their child and parent centre.

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?While these new buildings will officially open in 2014 and 2015, services at the new child and parent centres will be offered as soon as co-ordinators are in place at each school site in the second half of this year,? the Minister said.

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?All families should feel welcome to walk into any of these centres, where they will find a team of professionals able to help them raise happy and healthy children ready to learn at school.?

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As well as the 10 centres, an additional 75 primary schools in low socioeconomic areas will be eligible for an annual Early Years Service Grant of up to $10,000 each, starting in 2013.

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?These one-off grants will cover minor works and additional resources, allowing schools to deliver better support programs for children aged four and under,? Dr Constable said.

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????? Fact File

• Departments of Education and Health and the Department for Communities will work together to deliver services at each Child and Parent Centre

• Centre co-ordinators to begin working with their communities & agencies later this year

• List of 75 primary schools eligible for Early Years Service Grant is attached

Minister?s office - 6552 5700

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