Consultation

Draft Early Years Strategy and Action Plan 2009 – 2013

Council invites community feedback on its Draft Early Years Strategy and Action Plan 2009 – 2013.

The draft strategy and action plan provides a direction for how Council can best respond to the needs of children and families in Yarra.

It has been developed after consultation with families, the wider community and other service providers in the City of Yarra.

The key themes of the draft strategy and action plan are:

• Partnerships with Families and Communities
  This priority relates to families being encouraged to be active in decision-making processes about issues that affect them.
  It also encompasses Council developing and maintaining collaborative working relationships with our fellow service providers.

• Sector leadership
  This relates to Council taking a leadership and advocacy role in informing local services of new and emerging issues, and in working with community stakeholders to respond to these issues.

• Quality Service Provision
  This relates to Council’s commitment to provide high quality integrated services and programs which deliver better cognitive, social, health and development outcomes for children.

• Workforce Support and Development
  This priority relates to improving educational standards for professionals in the early years sector, and to improving staff to children ratios.
  

Any submissions about the draft strategy and action plan must be received by 4.00pm on Monday 9 November 2009.

Submissions should be sent to Helen Jennings, Coordinator Service Planning and Development, c/o Yarra City Council, P.O. Box 168, Richmond 3121, or via email at helen.jennings@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Council officers are expected to prepare a report on the submissions received for consideration at a meeting of Council’s Finance and Human Services Committee at the Fitzroy Town Hall on Tuesday 1 December, from 6pm.

Council is expected to consider adopting the strategy and action plan, with or without amendments, at its Council meeting at Fitzroy Town Hall on Tuesday 15 December, from 7pm.

Background

In April 2009, Council released a discussion paper that considered Council’s role in supporting young children from birth to 8 years of age and their families.

Community feedback from this discussion paper helped Council develop the draft strategy and action plan.
The previous Municipal Early Years Plan 2005-2007 is available as a reference.

Further information

Helen Jennings
Telephone 9205 5441
Email helen.jennings@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Links

External sites (Yarra City Council accepts no responsibility for the information or opinions contained within external sites)
pt4me2 is a public transport consultation project that uses new ways of communication, such as blogging, friend network websites, and SMS, to provide more ways for the community to have a say on public transport issues. It is a project of the Metropolitan Transport Forum, which represents 18 local councils across Melbourne, including the City of Yarra.

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