child friendly community for yarra ranges

I invite Yarra Ranges families to attend a community seminar in Lilydale about ‘Child Friendly Communities’ on Monday, 27 April.

The seminar is part of the shire’s ‘Help Shape the Future for Children’ community consultation aimed at developing a new Family and Children’s Strategy and I am the councillor representative for the strategy.

Guest speakers at the seminar will include Dr Tim Moore, a specialist from the Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health and Rosalie Rogers from Bendigo City Council, which was the first city in Australia to be recognised as a Child Friendly City by the United Nations

The seminar will explore what can be achieved through becoming a Child Friendly Community. Child Friendly Communities are all about creating an environment where children are valued, supported, respected, provided for and actively included.

This seminar will be a great opportunity for families to hear how local communities can help children reach their true potential and what it takes to make a real difference to families and their children.

Research shows that for every dollar spent on children, the whole community benefits seven-fold, and the shire will continue to keep the investment of time and resources towards childhood development a high priority.

Get it right in the early years and you get it right for life. This is me pictured with the children from the Upwey South Primary School Choir.

The ‘Child Friendly Communities’ seminar will also give participants an opportunity to provide feedback for the development of the shire’s Family and Children’s Strategy.

Once developed, the strategy will be used to guide key priorities for action relating to the health, learning and development of children aged 0-12 years.

For more information or bookings for the seminar, or for other ways to become involved in the Family and Children’s Strategy consultation process, contact the shire’s Early Years Development Coordinator Anne Monichon on 9294 6243.