Parenting and Early Childhood Development Centre 

The Parenting and Early Childhood Development Centre assists Walta (family) and their Tjitji (children) to prepare physically, emotionally and intellectually for the non-Martu environment of school. The Centre provides the opportunity for Martu parents/carers to increase their skills, knowledge, and confidence in positive parenting.  

The major aim of the Centre is to enhance family functioning, parenting skills and child health and development. Positive parenting is an essential element of improved health and wellbeing of young children. The Centre, therefore, aims to promote positive interactions and improve relationships between parents and young children, enhance the knowledge, skills and confidence of parents and improve family circumstances such as the home environment and family health.

Our long term goals through the Centre are:

• Children will have increased school readiness knowledge and skills including increased physical, social and emotional development as well as an increase in their practice of personal hygiene and healthy food choice behaviours
• Parents/carers will have increased parenting skills and knowledge of child development and a greater knowledge of and access to support services and resources
• Families will have a greater connection to their culture and community

We will achieve these goals through:

• implementing sustainable parenting strategies and childhood well-being programs;
• developing playgroups that are accessible to all families in Wiluna;
• providing workshops on appropriate discipline for young children, safety in the home and community, nutrition, budgeting, hygiene, and motor skills development in young children;
• training Aboriginal workers in child development, parenting practices to take on employed positions; and
• improving interagency and community collaboration and partnerships for better health outcomes for children and more effective coordination of available resources.

In 2008 we will commence the development of an early intervention parenting and early childhood development strategy and the production of a DVD to promote the work.