Community spirit builds a $1.3m centre
HERMIT Park State School has just opened a new $1.3 million purpose built Outside School Hour Care (OSHC) centre.
It has been built on the site of a former Scout hall adjacent to the school in Mckimmin Road and has approval to care for up 135 students before and after school and doing vacation.
The new centre was first proposed in 2015 to meet a growing need in the community and just over $600,000 for the project was raised by the school’s P & C association through pizza nights, recycling and donations.
The State Government contributed $500,000 from an election commitment and another $200,000 prior to that for its development.
With 635 students from prep through to Year 6 school principal Natalie Taylor said the project had been a long journey for the school community.
“Townsville has done it tough in the last few years with floods and all sorts of things happening so on this side of town people are crying out for a service to care for their children,” she said.
“One of the great things about having an OSHC in your school is that we have a great relationship so a lot of what we do in our school, our value systems, our philosophies, our behaviour management that same language is in the OSHC.
“With the new building the school can help more families.
“It is a real great example of a government and a community partnership to make a difference in a community.”
She said the new facility had an exceeding quality service rating.
The OSHC is run by the school’s P & C and its manager Jade Lucas said the students loved using the new facility.
“They actually do not want to leave the building now,” Mrs Lucas said.
“We also provide breakfast for the children, there is a quiet area, toilets, laundry and an office.”
IT IS A REAL GREAT EXAMPLE OF A GOVERNMENT AND A COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A COMMUNITY
NATALIE TAYLOR