THE Little Yuin Preschool at the Wallaga Lake Koori Village hosted a fun day of art, face painting and dance on Wednesday to help celebrate NAIDOC Week.
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Around 20 4-year-old students from the Bandara Children’s Services long day care centre in Bega travelled up to Little Yuin to join in on the fun.
Wallaga Lake elders Warren Foster Snr and Sonya Leon-Naylor had the kids making traditional ochre art and also participating in dancing and singing, including the traditional honeybee dance.
Community and youth workers from the Narooma branch of the Red Cross meanwhile provided a healthy lunch for the students and other participants.
Liitle Yuin also acknowledges elder Aunty Hazel Moreton who attended the event and helped out with creative activities.
The event was also a chance to explore the technological benefits of the Early Start program with the day’s activities “Skyped” over the internet to the Eden preschool.
Little Yuin Preschool, Bandara Children’s Services and the Eden preschool are all designated as Early Start engagement centres in an innovative program run out of the University of Wollongong.
A number of preschools along the Far South Coast have signed up as Early Start program, which is meant to assist with learning in remote and disadvantaged communities with technology and research, according to Little Yuin preschool director Lea Sutherland.
“The fun day and the program was meant to strengthen our connection with other Early Start engagement centres,” Lea said.
“The technology brings the world to more isolated and disadvantaged schools and helps make sure these children have the same opportunities as children on more mainstream and affluent communities.”
Wednesday’s event was also sponsored by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and a representative from the department’s Batemans Bay office attended.
Preschool teacher Darryl Kelland from Bandara Children’s Services said it was a great day and all 20 kids who travelled up from Bega enjoyed the visit and activities.
Bandara had a large proportion of indigenous students and would be keen to come back to Little Yuin for other activities and even to invite the Wallaga Lake students for a visit to Bega, he said.
