Outdoor Environment Project unveiled at Bronte
Image: A children's performance at the launch of the Bronte EEC Outdoor Environment Project
Waverley Council has launched an Outdoor Environment Project for children at the Early Education Centre in Bronte.
Operating since 1980, the Early Education Centre (EEC) at 42 St Thomas St in Bronte caters to children aged 2-5 years.
Unveiled on Tuesday, the project will see the development of a new play space with a creek bed, sandstone, timber features, and a variety of native plants and greening at the centre.
Director of the Bronte EEC Heather Azzopardi said the initiative encourages children to experience wonder for the natural environment.
“A lot of parents use our centre as a starting point for their children,” she said. “[The initiative] is a way for them to connect with nature.”
Robert Nock, a Waverley Council Family Support Worker at Bronte EEC, said the centre allowed staff members to “reconnect with their youth” by interacting with the children, responding to each child’s individual needs and providing a nurturing environment for children.
Councillor Angela Burrill said the Bronte EEC staff, Council officers and the Ken Brown Landscapes team worked hard to make the project happen.
“Without the hard work and the belief in this project, none of this could have been possible,” she said.
“We are extremely thankful for the valuable funding that we have received which has made this project a reality.”
Council received various grants to help fund the initiative, with $13,669 received from the State Government Communities Building Partnerships Program and $5,000 received from the Sydney Airport School Grants program.
Federal MP for Coogee Bruce Notley-Smith said the State Government Communities Building Partnerships Program was in its fourth year and focussed on providing places for the community to thrive, grow and meet with one another.
“Nothing that I ever grew up with compares with the fantastic environment that is built here,” he said. “Waverley Council is known for its early childhood development centres [and] I’m glad to have played a little part in assisting it.”
