Registered Office
The Benevolent Society
PO Box 171 Paddington NSW 2021
Paddington NSW 2021 Donations 1800 819 633 ABN 95 084 695 045
Media Release
Thursday 24 September 2009
Supporting vulnerable children through quality early childhood education
Early childhood education and care expert Frances Press will address the importance of good quality
early childhood services at a conference in Orange today.
The conference, hosted by The Benevolent Society, aims to highlight the latest thinking and research
evidence on the impact of early childhood services on vulnerable children and families, and bring this
information to early intervention and early childhood workers in the Central West region.
Fran Press, Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University, is an acknowledged leader in Australia’s early
childhood care and education sector, with a strong background in research and evaluation.
“Study after study shows that good quality early childhood education and care services provide
excellent and effective support for children and families who are facing difficult circumstances at
home,” said Ms Press.
“These services, at their best, provide
care and learning environments in which young children can
thrive,
ease the
transition to school, and
link families into social networks and addition support that
might be needed.
“We need to ensure all children and families have the opportunity to access high quality early
childhood education and care and enjoy these benefits,” said Ms Press.
John McClinton, Network Manager for The Benevolent Society in the Central West, said
the
conference will help identify some of the challenges and obstacles for the Early Childhood sector in
working with vulnerable children and their families.
“It’s important to keep improving the way we work with young children and their families, especially
vulnerable children, to ensure they have the best possible start in life.”
“Out of this event, we’ll establish a
group of local representatives from programs such as Brighter
Futures, to
develop
a partnership with early childhood education services and will address the
challenges that these services face in caring for vulnerable children.”
The seminar is
presented by The Benevolent Society, with funding from
the Commonwealth
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) through a
Protecting Australia’s Children grant.
The Benevolent Society delivers Brighter Futures in locations across NSW, including Orange,
Bathurst, Lithgow, Parkes and Mudgee.
The focus of Brighter Futures is on providing early and
targeted support for families with young children who are finding parenting tough.
The Conference will be held from 9:15am to 4:15pm,
Thursday 24 September, at Orange Ex-
Services Club, 241 Anson Street, Orange. Media are welcome to attend.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Erin Schrieber, 0410 003 934
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Registered Office
The Benevolent Society
PO Box 171 Paddington NSW 2021
Paddington NSW 2021 Donations 1800 819 633 ABN 95 084 695 045
The Benevolent Society
Established in 1813, The Benevolent Society is Australia’s first charity. Nearly two centuries after
we first started helping the destitute and homeless in colonial Sydney, our 800 staff and 900
volunteers continue to support more than 16,000 children and adults each year in metropolitan,
regional and rural New South Wales and in Queensland.
The Benevolent Society works with
women, children, families, older people, people with a
disability and those who care for them, and people affected by adoption. We support vulnerable
and disadvantaged people across the lifespan to build on their strengths and lead happy and
fulfilling lives. We help to connect communities through support groups, volunteer visiting
programs and community projects.
Our vision is that every person is healthy, safe, connected and has a meaningful and productive
role in their community.
NEWS 
