City of Armadale

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Saturday, 21 November 2009

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Children and Families

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Children and Families

The City of Armadale recognises and values the pivotal role that families and children play in our community and aims to create a safe, supportive place where children are encouraged to play, grow and learn.

The City works alongside and builds relationships with local community groups to provide a range of activities and services that reflect the diversity of children’s interests, abilities and needs, and supports parental involvement in play, learning and care.

The City has employed a dedicated officer within its Community Development Team to work with organisations and community groups to develop projects that address the needs of children and families within the City of Armadale. The City’s Community Development Officer – Families and Children can be contacted on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on 9399 0638. If you would like to discuss ideas or issues you have that are relevant to children and families please contact the abovementioned officer.

Literacy

Over 20,000 people visit one of the City’s three libraries every month. In addition to the thousands of books, CDs, DVDs and magazines on offer the libraries also host numerous groups, talks and activities designed to encourage early literacy.

Seville Grove Library hosts a series of Better Beginnings Parent Workshops each month on a range of topics including brain development, speech, play, nutrition and story telling. Baby Rhyme Time sessions aimed at encouraging babies and toddlers to develop an early love of language and songs are held bi-monthly at the Seville Grove and Kelmscott Libraries.

A range of fun and exciting activities are also on offer for children. These include storytime sessions, a Ripper Readers Club and numerous school holiday activities. A family reading area has also been set aside at the Seville Grove Library.

Free tutoring help is now available online to library members. School children can use the service at one of the City’s libraries or at home.

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Health

Child Health Nurses employed in Child Health Centres located within Armadale offer advice and assistance in the areas of early childhood health and development.

The City offers a free Immunisation Program for children in partnership with the Department of Health. Further information can found in the Department's Immunisation Handbook (PDF 300kb) or on the Immunisation Clinics Calendar 2010 (PDF 34kB).

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Recreation

When it comes to recreation the City is a one stop shop brimming with parks, playgrounds, a leisure centre and aquatic centre.

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Playgroups

Playgroups are a great way for both young children and parents to interact with others. Contact Playgroup WA on 1800 171 882 or visit www.playgroupwa.com.au to find registered playgroups within Armadale and surrounding areas.

The City has recently established a new playgroup aimed at encouraging beneficial interaction between children aged 0 – 5, parents/care givers and seniors through play and fun activities. For more information contact the City’s Community Development Officer – Families and Children on 9399 0638.

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Child Care services, Kindergartens and Schools

There are a range of quality child care (including family day care and out of school hours care) options, kindergartens and primary schools available to families within the City of Armadale.

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Australian Early Development Index (AEDI)

The Australian Early Development Index is a community measure of young children's development, based on the scores from a teacher-completed checklist consisting of over 100 questions. The AEDI checklist measures five areas of child development:

  • physical health and wellbeing
  • social competence
  • emotional maturity
  • language and cognitive skills, and
  • communication skills and general knowledge.

Teachers of children in their first year of formal schooling complete the checklist on each child after they have had a chance to observe their development.

The AEDI provides communities from around Australia with the opportunity to better understand how they can allocate resources and concentrate their efforts towards improving outcomes for children. For more information and results of the AEDI, including results for the Armadale area, visit www.australianedi.org.au.

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Useful links

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