Minderoo backs early childhood development in WA

The Minderoo Foundation, backed by Andrew and Nicola Forrest's private investment group Tattarang, has partnered with the City of Kwinana in Western Australia to transform early childhood development outcomes.

Minderoo Foundation will provide the City of Kwinana with a $4.09 million grant to lead a place-based, systems approach to early childhood development over the next 2.5 years.

The first phase will establish a dedicated early years team, undertake a comprehensive analysis of Kwinana's early years ecosystem, deliver a community Early Years Summit, launch an Early Years Impact Fund and investigate the feasibility of an Orelia Early Years Hub.

Future phases will focus on strengthening collaborative governance, investing in proven initiatives and embedding long-term systems change that continues delivering benefits for local children and families.

Minderoo Foundation chief executive John Hartman said the early years lay the foundation for lifelong learning and wellbeing, but achieving the best outcomes for children required collaboration.

"What makes this partnership exciting is that it builds on the City of Kwinana's leadership and existing strengths across the community. By bringing together local government, families, service providers and community organisations, we can strengthen the systems that support children and create lasting impact," Hartman said.

"Minderoo is proud to back Kwinana's ambition because we believe communities are best placed to mould the solutions that work for them. Our hope is that this place-based approach can become a model for how local leadership and philanthropy work together to improve outcomes for children across Australia."

The investment will strengthen the systems that support children from birth to five years of age, with a focus on improving access to transport, food security, perinatal care and community-based child health and development services, while creating stronger collaboration between organisations already delivering support across Kwinana.

City of Kwinana mayor Peter Feasey said the partnership represented one of the most significant investments in its future.

"The early years shape the future of every child, and by investing in those years we are investing in the future of our entire community," Feasey said.

"Rather than creating another standalone program, this partnership will strengthen the entire early years ecosystem, helping services and programs to collaborate, identifying gaps, attracting further investment and ensuring families can more easily access the support they need within the local community."