1 Hardcopy Book Limited amount of copies available. To pick up a copy please visit: Central Gippsland Health Service Yarram District Health Service Wellington Shire Council—Sale and Yarram Office Maternal Child Health Clinics Selected Wellington Shire Kindergarten Programs UnitingCare Gippsland—Sale Office Download Electronic Book Download a free copy of the Directory at www.ucgipps.org.au and save it on your Computer Desktop, Tablet or Smartphone. Electronic Book has inbuilt links on ‘Contents Page’ and services listed. One click and it will connect you to the service you are looking for. Computer users will need to have Adobe Reader or similar E-reader Program to access the document. Smartphone / Tablet users can download and save the Electronic Book in “iBooks” or similar E-Reader Library Apps, that way you can access it without needing to be connected to the internet. Smartphone / Tablet users can use the ‘search function’ in “iBooks” or similar E-Reader Apps to connect you to the page you are searching for. We want to know what you think about this Parent Directory. Please complete a short survey about the Wellington Shire Early Years Parent Directory. Your feedback is very important as it will help us know how useful you found it, and how we can improve on it in future editions! Please visit (or click): https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/parent_directory 2 Welcome to the Wellington Shire Early Years Parent Directory! Wellington Shire Early Years Parent Directory originated from a parent’s suggestion made to Wellington Best Start! From this suggestion, a working group was formed of local community agencies, parents and carers who supported Wellington Best Start make this directory possible. For many, finding the right support network, program or facility to assist us as we go about our daily lives, is not always easy. The aim of the directory is to provide an ‘easy to access’ directory of services, support groups and social activities for families living, working, and visiting Wellington Shire. It also has information on local services and tips to assist parents and carers on when and how to access a service. The directory is early years focused, listing services catering for children aged 0 – 12 years. It will also list parent and family support services which support families with children aged 0 – 17 years. Wellington Best Start welcomes your feedback and ideas. Every effort has been made to ensure the information in this directory is accurate and up to date at the time of printing. To provide feedback, inform us of any changes or to include a service, please contact Wellington Best Start Facilitator: Wellington Best Start Program UnitingCare Gippsland Ph: (03) 51 44 7777 Email: [email protected] For more information on the Wellington Shire Best Start Program please visit: www.ucgipps.org.au When this project began, children were invited to submit drawings of ‘what they like to do in the town they live in’. We have chosen some of the wonderful artwork to be included in this directory. A warm thank you goes to the many creative and talented children who helped to bring this directory to life with their artwork. Laura, Age 11 Years "This is me swimming at the Blue Pools like a mermaid" 3 CONTENTS EMERGENCY AND IMPORTANT NUMBERS .............................................................. 6 FOR CHILDREN .......................................................................................................... 7 Pregnancy and Birth ........................................................................................................................ 7 Antenatal Pre Admission Service .............................................................................................. 11 Pregnancy Education and Support at Central Gippsland Health Service ........................ 11 Antenatal Clinic ........................................................................................................................... 12 General Practitioners (Accredited in Pregnancy and Birth Care) ...................................... 12 Obstetrician Services ................................................................................................................. 12 Breastfeeding Support .............................................................................................................. 13 Post Natal Depression ................................................................................................................ 14 Grief and Loss ............................................................................................................................. 14 Maternal Child Health Service Information ............................................................................... 15 Maternal and Child Health Centres Contact Details ................................................................ 16 Immunisations ................................................................................................................................... 17 Public Baby and Parent Room ..................................................................................................... 18 Baby Equipment Hire ..................................................................................................................... 18 Child Restraints and Fitting Services ........................................................................................... 19 Library Services in Wellington Shire ........................................................................................... 20 Children’s Programs at your Local Library ............................................................................. 21 Toy Library .................................................................................................................................. 21 Mobile Library ............................................................................................................................ 22 Online Library ............................................................................................................................. 22 Playgroups in Wellington Shire ................................................................................................... 23 Children’s Activities ........................................................................................................................ 27 Childcare Information and Options ............................................................................................. 29 Long Day Care ............................................................................................................................ 32 Family Day Care ........................................................................................................................ 33 Occasional Care ......................................................................................................................... 33 Before and After School Care.................................................................................................. 35 Holiday Care Program .............................................................................................................. 35 Kindergarten Support Services .................................................................................................... 37 Kindergarten Programs in Wellington Shire.............................................................................. 38 Community Kindergarten Programs ......................................................................................... 38 Childcare Centres that offer funded Kindergarten Programs ............................................ 40 Children with Additional Needs, Disability and Mental Health Concerns ............................ 41 Paediatrician ............................................................................................................................... 41 Specialist Service ........................................................................................................................ 42 Starting Primary School – Information ........................................................................................ 45 Primary Schools in Wellington Shire – Contact Details ........................................................ 47 Secondary Schools in Wellington Shire – Contact Details ................................................... 49 Specialist School – Contact Details .......................................................................................... 49 4 FOR PARENTS, CARERS & FAMILIES ....................................................................... 50 Family Support Services ................................................................................................................ 51 Parenting Programs and Support ............................................................................................ 51 Children’s Programs ....................................................................................................................... 52 Youth Programs ........................................................................................................................... 52 Counselling Services ....................................................................................................................... 54 Child Protection ........................................................................................................................... 56 Sexual Assault ............................................................................................................................