Also known as THRYVE in NSW, SNAICC will support Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) delivering childhood education and care in New South Wales for 4 years from 2023–27.

This support will include:

• program design and delivery
• sustainability and accessibility
• workforce planning and development
• capital infrastructure
• capacity building – including in governance, compliance and reporting – and
• developing a collective voice for the sector on critical issues.

There are currently 36 ACCOs in NSW including preschools, multifunctional Aboriginal children’s services and Aboriginal Child and Family Centres.

Under the partnership, SNAICC will also look to grow the number of providers with a view to improving education and development outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in ways that nurture and celebrate culture and identity.

The Sector Strengthening Partnership will assist the department to achieve its First Steps Aboriginal Children’s Early Childhood Education Strategy 2021-25. It will also contribute to key priorities under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap related to building the community-controlled sector as well as targets:

• to increase the proportion of Aboriginal children enrolled in early childhood education in the year before school and
• to increase the proportion of Aboriginal children assessed as developmentally on track in all 5 domains of the AEDC.

SNAICC’s work will complement the department’s 10-year Partnership Agreement with the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group.

SNAICC was established in 1981 and is the national non-governmental peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.

Background

The NSW Government and all other states and territories committed in November 2021 to supporting the Sector Strengthening Plan: Early Childhood Care and Development under Closing the Gap. This included investing in a NSW Aboriginal organisation to provide Aboriginal community-controlled organisations delivering early childhood education and care with sector strengthening support.

SNAICC was selected as Sector Strengthening Partner following a competitive tender process led by the NSW Department of Education and supported by Aboriginal Affairs NSW. The majority of the $3.52 million funding for the initiative is provided by the NSW Department of Education.