Department of Education

Child and
Family
Centres
In 2010–11 the state government has committed
$25.4 million in capital funding to enable the construction
of child and family centres (CFC) statewide. The purpose
of CFCs is to improve the learning, health and wellbeing
of Tasmania’s very young children by supporting parents
and enhancing accessibility of services in the local
community.
The vision of CFCs is that all Tasmanian children have
the best possible start in life, are healthy, safe and curious
learners, nurtured by confident, capable families living in
strong, supportive communities.
The centres will bring together and offer a range of
integrated services; based on community need that make
the most difference in the early years of a child’s life,
providing access for children and their families within their
local community.
A total of six state government funded CFCs will be open
by the end of 2011. Beaconsfield CFC was the first to
open in January 2011. It provides a range of integrated
services and programs including Launching into Learning and
Child Health and Parenting Services. A common focus
for all CFCs is the cultivation of partnerships with a range
of services and a commitment to developing respectful
relationships with families. The centres have a child focused
approach combined with support and opportunities for
parents, caregivers and families.
Construction on five other centre buildings—Clarence
Plains, Ravenswood, East Devonport, Break-O-Day
(St Helens) and West Coast (Queenstown) will be
completed by the end of 2011. Other centres in Burnie,
Chigwell and the Derwent Valley are due for completion in
2012. A date for the CFC at George Town is not available
at this stage.
Through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG)
Partnership for Indigenous Early Childhood Development,
the Australian Government has also provided the
state government with $8.09 million to establish and
operate two CFCs in Bridgewater and the Huon Valley
(Geeveston).
Performance
Launching
into Learning
(LiL) data
findings in
2010 from
the 2008
program
The overarching goal of LiL is to help children
from socioeconomically disadvantaged
3.1.1
backgrounds to improve their educational
performance through interventions in early
development from birth to before Kindergarten.
The Department of Education is conducting
The Launching into Learning Longitudinal Study
2007–2014. The 2010 Progress Report collected
information on 1,299 regular 2 LiL students across
104 schools and looks at the effect participation
had on student performance as measured by the
Kindergarten Development Check (KDC) and
Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS). In the
future the report will include Year 3 National Assessment
Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results.
The 2010 results show that involvement in LiL has a
significant impact in improving literacy and numeracy
skills. All analyses point to the same conclusion: that
LiL has a significantly positive influence on student
performance from all socioeconomic backgrounds but
the biggest performance gains occurred in children from
more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.
2 Defined as attendance of 75% or more LiL sessions for the year.
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Pre-Compulsory and Compulsory Education – Early Years