Year in Review 2022 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst 19 Sandhurst Diocese Reports Julie Cobbledick Chair of SCECE&C LTD Board Prepared in collaboration with Paul Desmond Chief Executive Officer SCECE&C LTD and Carla Jeffrey Chief Early Childhood Officer SCECE&C LTD Blocks Inclusion (Buildings and Playgrounds) Grant stream in early 2022. These grants fund infrastructure upgrades to ensure kindergarten activities are safer, more inclusive, and accessible to children of all abilities. • $170,000 for Assisi Kindergarten, Strathfieldsaye, which will be used to create a play structure that is designed with graduated ramps that wind and connect with platforms and spaces around the existing trees to provide many different play spaces for children of all abilities to enjoy and feel the joy of height. • $39,393.80 for St Mel’s Kindergarten to construct a deck that is flush with the indoor floor that attaches to a ramp to facilitate wheelchair access from inside play spaces to outdoor play spaces. A further $98,024 Facility Upgrade Grant will support the expansion to upgrade children’s and staff bathrooms and the kindergarten director’s office. As SCECE&C Ltd grows, the organisational structure continues to develop, providing an overview of the relationships within, from CES Ltd as the Member through to the early childhood services. The leadership and management of early childhood education and care is provided through the SCECE&C Ltd Unit. This is a small team of two staff led by Carla Jeffrey (Chief Early Childhood Officer). SCECE&C Ltd currently has two services within the organisation, Assisi Kindergarten Strathfieldsaye, and St Mel’s Kindergarten Shepparton. Both services facilitate educational programs for 3- and 4-year-old children with enrolments of 220 children in 2022. St Mel’s Kindergarten (1967) and Assisi Kindergarten (2017) reflect the work of St Mel’s Parish (Shepparton South) and St Therese’s Parish (Kennington) in establishing and supporting early childhood education and development within the Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst. The generous commitment of the Sisters of Divine Zeal in Shepparton, the pioneers of early childhood education and care in the Diocese, combined with the more recent establishment of Assisi Kindergarten in Strathfieldsaye, has provided a sound framework to build upon, so that early childhood education and care can be provided more widely across the Diocese, expanding the provision of Catholic Education, in partnership with parishes, Catholic schools and diocesan agencies with particular reference to CatholicCare Victoria. There is much to celebrate and acknowledge in relation to the first period of the SCECE&C Ltd development. There are also challenges ahead as new sites for services are determined whilst, at the same time, we ensure a high quality of education is provided in the existing services. Resourcing (both personnel and financial) within the Company will continue to be monitored and supported as we move forward into the next phase of establishment for SCECE&C Ltd.
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