JavaScript is required

Maryborough Education Centre - OSHC

1

00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:09,240

OSHC has been operating at

Maryborough Education Centre

2

00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,280

since the start of 2022.

3

00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,640

We use before, after school,

4

00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,840

and vacation program here at MEC.

5

00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,920

We are in a cluster with

Carisbrook Primary School

6

00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:21,600

and Timor Primary School.

7

00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,440

We opted for the model to

have a third party provider

8

00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:28,320

come in and provide the service.

9

00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:32,360

I think students have

benefited from the OSHC program

10

00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,200

because there actually is

something available for them

11

00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,280

to go to rather than staying at home

12

00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,040

or having their parents have

to organise something else

13

00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:42,640

for them to do while they're at work.

14

00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:44,840

And we have a lot of

great activities here,

15

00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,480

and we do a lot of good

programs that keep them busy.

16

00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:52,880

The services I use are

the after school program

17

00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,120

and the holiday program.

18

00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,240

We do quite a lot of activities,

19

00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,720

so it's either a daily activity

or our weekly activity,

20

00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,600

like a sports week or a science week.

21

00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,240

And over the holidays, usually

we go and watch a movie.

22

00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,680

It's been really

helpful for our parents,

23

00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,280

allowing many of them to

get back into the workforce.

24

00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:18,000

It's given them certainty

and a sense of real safety

25

00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:19,400

for their students.

26

00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,120

It's also provided a lot of convenience

27

00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,560

so they don't have to do

multiple pickups and drop offs.

28

00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,120

I definitely think it is helping

29

00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:28,880

a lot of people in the community,

30

00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,560

and definitely is bringing

the community closer together.

31

00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:33,000

And there's obviously lots of kids

32

00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,120

that are making new friends

within the community

33

00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,200

that wouldn't know each other

if they didn't come here.

34

00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,120

The cluster model has been key

35

00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,520

to the success of our program

36

00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,920

and allowed us to more

efficiently use the grant money.

37

00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,960

Receiving the grant funding

for the OSHC program here

38

00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,160

really helped us get more buses organised

39

00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:56,200

for the schools out of town

so that children can come

40

00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,080

into Maryborough to after

school care program, or before.

41

00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:01,640

We go at the front of school

42

00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,040

and we meet whoever's on the bus,

43

00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,720

and we travel here and then

whoever's looking after us,

44

00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,720

they come and meet us and

they give us some bibs

45

00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:12,320

and we put them on and we walk up.

46

00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:14,200

We would not have been able to set up

47

00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,080

this program without the grant.

48

00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:20,000

So it's given us money to

buy some small capital items

49

00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,920

to allow the program to function,

50

00:02:22,920 --> 00:02:26,520

but it's also given

the provider certainty.

51

00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:28,760

So if numbers were to dip,

52

00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,800

there is a guarantee that

there's gonna be an income

53

00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:33,480

and a service in place.

54

00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,880

The key to having a

successful OSHC service

55

00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,000

is to have the best staff

that you can possibly have,

56

00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,520

staff that are very engaged,

love their job and have fun.

57

00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,400

And then as well, just making

sure that everything's running

58

00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,720

smoothly and you have a good

connection with the teachers,

59

00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:51,880

as well as the principals and the parents.

60

00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,640

It really helps out parents financially.

61

00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:59,080

Some parents work for their

mental health, physical health,

62

00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:01,800

and that really helps

them get into a routine,

63

00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:03,080

as well as the kids.

64

00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,640

The parents have been

really happy with the program,

65

00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:09,040

and that is represented

by the number of families

66

00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:10,760

who are now using the service.

Updated