Early Childhood

The Department of Education provides education to young Territorians from the early years to adulthood. It has a range of strategic policy, regulatory, delivery and support responsibilities including:

•  ensuring quality early learning and development programs
• delivering high quality education services to maximise student learning
• providing pathways for school-aged students aligned with their further education, and work or career aspirations
• providing a regulatory function over the operation of early childhood services and non-government schools
• supporting Northern Territory (NT) institutions delivering tertiary education
• Vocational Education and Training in Schools (VETiS)

Child Advocacy

An advocacy group for children up to 8 years old provides a voice for children on any issue relating to them.

Children’s Inclusion Support Services

Provides support, resources and training for child-care services to empower carers with confidence, skills and knowledge in successfully caring for children with special needs.

Children with additional needs may include those from culturally & linguistically diverse backgrounds, indigenous children, those with disabilities or developmental delay and refugees who have experienced torture or trauma during their refugee experiences.

Kalkarindji Children’s service is located on the edge of a local school grounds. The one room centre allows for family-centred practices and values each child and their identity.

The service has an expansive outdoor environment inspiring imagination, creation and dramatic play.

Katherine Isolated Children’s Service is a not-for-profit, registered charity and an incorporated association. KICS began remote playgroups in the Northern Territory in 1988 and became incorporated in 1989.

Katherine Isolated Children’s Service visits children and families who are socially and geographically isolated. KICS visits children living on pastoral properties, in Indigenous communities, in the small towns of Mataranka, Timber Creek and Elliott and participates in invitational events such as campdrafts, Ladies Days, Family Days and Katherine School of the Air events.

Located:               Primary School based Social & Emotional Wellbeing Program

Referred by:       Principal or Staff

Operating out of: Moulden Primary, Karama Primary, Woodroffe Primary, Driver Primary, Anula Primary & Malak Primary Schools

Save the Children Staff Contact: Catherine Collier phone:  041 720 0170

Known locally as MacKids, Children’s Services deliver Early Learning programs for children from birth to school age across ten of our communities.

Providing early childhood services within the MacDonnell region offers children and families in remote Aboriginal communities a safe and healthy space that allows children to explore, discover and learn about their world and develop to their potential.

Multicultural Community Services of Central Australia Incorporated (MCSCA) is a community based organisation whose aims and objectives are to deliver quality confidential services to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

MCSCA provides the first port of call with friendly, culturally sensitive orientation and information, and ongoing activities and events to promote harmony in our community.

Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS)

The Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) program is funded by the Australian Department of Home Affairs.  The program aims to equip and empower humanitarian entrants, other eligible permanent migrants and their communities to address their settlement needs, in order to improve social participation, economic well-being, independence, personal well-being and community connectedness. The SETS program fills an important gap in the post-arrival period for eligible clients who do not have family and other community supports to rely on.

The program is complementary to the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) and other Commonwealth support to humanitarian entrants and for other vulnerable migrants.

SETS Client Services provides clients with settlement-related information, advice, advocacy, and assistance to access mainstream and other relevant services. Services will be delivered in accordance with a needs-based approach. Typically client needs will align with the nine priority areas identified in the National Settlement Framework.

Facilities for the Multicultural Community 

Multicultural groups and incorporated organisations can access facilities at MCSCA and within the Alice Springs Youth and Community Centre Complex at 5B Wills Terrace.

MCSCA has the following facilities:

• a computer suite with scanning and printing facilities and internet access for employment purposes
• meeting space

MCSCA organises or facilitates:

• regular ‘meet and greet’ events to welcome new members of the multicultural community who are settling in Alice Springs
• information sessions with topics of interest to the migrant and multicultural communities of Alice Springs
• seminars and workshops for multicultural groups and associations
• consultations with local, Territory and Australian Government departments on issues of concern to members of the multicultural community
• events linked to specific projects

Alice Springs Youth and Community Centre Complex has additional facilities including meeting rooms, training rooms, a large hall and facilities for community events.  Multicultural groups and incorporated associations access these facilities for a range of purposes including meetings, social gatherings, cultural dance practices, choir practices, homework tuition and language classes.

Bookings are essential.  Fees apply in most cases.  For more information about the application process and conditions of use please call us on 08 8952 8776.

SusuMama Playgroup 

This long running and much loved multicultural playgroup is facilitated by MCSCA and is run in partnership with Anglicare NT.

SusuMama playgroup is an important activity for newly arrived migrant parents and their children. It is a fundamental tool for integration in the Australian community in Alice Springs.

Susumama Playgroup enables parents and children to meet weekly in a convenient and comfortable CBD location at the Alice Springs Youth & Community Centre. This program helps families to make friends and to have fun, enjoying various hands-on activities organised by our enthusiastic and welcoming Playgroup Leader.

Susumama Playgroup is non-religious and non-denominational. All are welcome!

Guest speakers are invited to provide a variety of information sessions to parents and carers. The aim is to facilitate the integration and acceptance of women into the Australian multicultural community covering a spectrum of issues from legal, mother and child, health and mainstream services.

SusuMama Playgroup meets every Monday and Friday at the Alice Springs Youth & Community Centre from 9.30am to 11.30 am.  Please contact us for more information and to book in.

Multicultural Grant Program 

The Multicultural Grant Program provides support and assistance to the multicultural communities of Alice Springs.  The program can also assist individual people from multicultural communities who continue to need help after the initial five-year period of settlement assistance has finished.

The funding from the NT Government provides support for:

• Assistance with settling into Australian lifestyles
• Encouragement of multiculturalism in the wider community
• Encouragement of community participation
• Organisation and participation in community events
• Promotion of integrated services
• Promotion of the use of interpreters by agencies and service providers
• Helping large culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and multicultural communities to form their own incorporated associations
• Seminars and workshops on governance and organising the running of an association

Big Day Out In Harmony 

Celebrating the vibrancy of our town with community events like Harmony Day is an important part of MCSCA work, ensuring that Alice Springs is a welcoming place for all.

Harmony Day is a United Nations-recognised global celebration that began in 1999. Officially held on March 21, it coincides with the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and has been enthusiastically embraced by MCSCA as a community celebration in Alice Springs in early May.  We call this event Big Day Out in Harmony.

MCSCA works with the Town Council to combine their resources to stage Big Day Out in Harmony on the beautiful lawns at the southern end of the Council property. The stage is set like a village green, with performance area, food and drink stalls, family-focussed activities and lots of places to sit down with old and new friends.   It is a community celebration of culture and coming together that draws hundreds through its simple message of unity and strength through sharing culture and friendship. The event can also be enjoyed by people who are unable to attend or if they are away from Alice Springs through a live broadcast by the local community radio station 8CCC 102.1FM.

Each year, MCSCA invites all the multicultural groups and associations to participate in the event, to share some of their culture with the wider community.  After months of rehearsals, it comes together on a day filled with colours, sounds, fragrances and tastes from across the world.

If you would like to be involved please contact our office on (08) 8952 8776.

One Tree Community Services work with people and communities to transform challenges into possibilities. Our strength is providing services in rural and remote areas, or challenging environments.

We are a not-for-profit charity whose purpose is to advance education and social or public welfare. We provide early and middle childhood education and care (including out of school hours care), community services, professional support and training across Australia.

One Tree:

• builds resilient individuals, families and communities; and
• relieves suffering by providing support, services, management and learning opportunities for organisations and people, including those disadvantaged by poverty, violence, illness, location or lack of high-quality services.