A new NSW partnership announced today will ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are better supported to participate in high quality, culturally inclusive early childhood education and care.

The Department of Education has appointed SNAICC – the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care – as a Sector Strengthening Partner for early childhood education and care following a competitive tender process.

SNAICC, whose NSW body is known as THRYVE, will provide practical assistance including workforce planning, design and delivery, and other forms of support, to the Aboriginal community controlled organisations (ACCO) running early childhood education and care services in NSW. It will also act as a collective voice on critical issues.

This partnership will help the NSW government to meet its commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap by supporting a stronger, more robust early childhood education and care sector.

SNAICC’s work will also complement the Department of Education’s 10-year partnership with the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

“Every child should be able to access services without any barriers.

“The first five years of life are when the seeds are sown for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to develop into the next generation of leaders.

“In NSW, there are 36 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations delivering early childhood education and care sector – and we expect this number to grow through this partnership.

“This appointment shows the depth of the government’s commitment to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families can access culturally safe, inclusive, and quality early childhood education and care, and it will help us make real progress on Closing the Gap goals.”

THRYVE NSW Director Renee Leslie said:

“Embracing culture and identity is at the heart of getting the best outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.”

“Our role is to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services, elevate their voices and provide practical support to help them optimise children’s learning, development and connection to culture so they are ready for school.”

The appointment of a sector strengthening partner for early childhood education and care forms part of the First Steps Aboriginal Children’s Strategy. The Strategy provides a total of $23 million in funding from 2021-2025 to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in NSW.