Kindy children splash out thanks to community grants.

Grant money received by the Dayboro Community Kindergarten has meant children attending this year have had a wider range of experiences, including water activities which have been off limits in recent years due to drought conditions.

The Kindy has this year received a grant from the Pine Rivers Shire Council for $10,000 to install water tanks and a second grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund for $22,559.90 for upgraded and additional fencing.
Kindergarten Director, Robyn Hoban, said both projects had made a big difference to the children’s Kindy experience, opening up new areas of play relating to water and sustainability.
“The water play is something that has been missing from our program until we received the grant for the water tank and it’s been wonderful to see the children’s creativity being extended as they incorporate water into their activities,” Robyn said.
The new fencing has also enriched the Kindy program – the grant allowed for an upgraded fence to replace aging fences in the main play area, as well as new fencing for adjoining land recently acquired by the Kindy. 
This fencing, along with the additional water from the tank, has also allowed the Kindy to expand on an ongoing sustainability program that not only sees the children learning about environmental issues but also includes a rapidly expanding fruit and vegetable growing program.
“The children have discovered a range of tastes from our garden this year, from the lettuce, silverbeet, beans and cucumber, through to the strawberries, white mulberries, custard apples, cumquats, loquats, and jaboticaba fruit,” Robyn said.
“Being able to introduce the children to new experiences in this way is really beneficial to their development at this age, and it’s been good to see the children tasting new foods, even when they initially don’t want to – and they are usually pleasantly surprised.”
Kindy Committee President, Angie Russian, said the Dayboro Kindy program was so successful that the Creche and Kindergarten Association (C&K) were using it as a pilot study for other C&K centres to learn from.
“Now that we have an additional fenced area, our sustainability program is really going to take off,” Ms Russian said.
“Being a community kindergarten we are constantly trying to remain focused on community issues and being part of the community, and our goals are much easier to achieve through the support program of grants programs such as those run by the Pine Rivers Shire Council and the Gambling Community Benefit Fund.”

(Bottom left) The new fencing enabled by the grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund; and (bottom right) A water tank and associated plumbing made possible by a grant from Pine Rivers Shire Council (now Moreton Bay Regional Council).