Moriarty Foundation has welcomed a commitment to delivering early childhood education and care options in regional and rural areas, as good news for Indigenous families in remote communities.
Moriarty Foundation Co-Founder and Executive Director Ros Moriarty said the Coalition's $100 million Raising the Regions Program would support not-for-profits like Indi Kindi.
"Indi Kindi is Moriarty Foundation's early childhood program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island children, which is designed and led by local communities and delivered on Country," said Ms Moriarty.
"The current childcare funding model only supports mainstream early learning services, and the long daycare model does not suit regional and remote communities, nor is it tailored to Indigenous children for success, like Indi Kindi is.
"Indi Kindi is a groundbreaking initiative with a curriculum specifically designed for Aboriginal children from newborn to age five – its classrooms have no walls, and the program is delivered on Country by local Aboriginal women using a traditional Aboriginal teaching methodology that aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia."
Indi Kindi was established in 2011, and is delivered in four remote Northern Territory communities, Borroloola and Robinson River, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Tennant Creek and Mungkarta, in Central Australia. The initiative is led by local Community Advisory Groups made up of local leaders, elders, Traditional Owners, families and local staff educators to guide and advocate for the program.
"We welcome this announcement, and we hope to see both sides of politics commit to programs like Indi Kindi, so all communities across Australia are able to access quality early childhood education, no matter where they live," said Ms Moriarty.
