ON National Close the Gap Day, held March 17, the Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt visited Lulla’s Children and Family Centre in Shepparton to unveil the ‘Koorie Kids Shine lunch packs.’ They were given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Victorian kindergartens to start conversations about the importance of early education.
The Labor State Government’s ‘Koorie Kids Shine’ initiative signifies the importance of Aboriginal culture and supports greater kinder participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, promoting access to 15 hours of free or low-cost kindergarten every week in the two years before school.
The Government plans to invest almost $5B this decade to this Australian-first reform, which provides three-year-old children with access to an additional year of funded kindergarten programs.
To find out more about the Koorie Kids Shine program, visit vic.gov.au/koorie-kids-shine.
