Bedgerabong Public School teacher Helen Corke says the ‘Community Connection’ program at her school has made a difference to participating students.
The program, which serves to improve skills of children such as gross motor, is one of Bedgerabong Public School’s community engagement and support strategies. The program operates every Thursday from 9.30 to 11.00am during school terms at the school. It is run by classroom teacher Mrs Corke along with Bedgerabong Public School Principal Mr Paul Faulkner.
The program brings a wealth of training and experience in early childhood education, which allows it to offer a wide range of exciting and developmental experiences for the zero to five-year old age group of the Bedgerabong district.
The sessions normally begin with gross motor activities, followed by themed activities based on individual children’s needs. Finally, group activities are then run to foster listening, turn taking and social skills. Close consultation with the mums and dads that participate has lead to the ability to arrange for visiting services including dental checks, visits from the community health speech therapist, and visits from the occupational therapist.
The child health family nurse also attends to provide early childhood checks
and parental support. Mrs Corke said the program was the only one of it’s kind in Bedgerabong, and offered a great service for children and their parents.
“The outreach program is a vital connection with the wider community and gives small rural families the opportunity to access services for their children without travelling large distances,” she said. “The support and attendance rates continue to grow each week. This program is providing the connections that families need to the wider community. We always look forward to Thursday mornings and the special visitors to our school.”