Lil’ Tigers Early Learning Centre in Dowerin has become the latest Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Centre to join the Regional Early Education and Development Inc (REED).

REED offers a new cluster model of management to provide ECEC services across the Wheatbelt, working to reduce the burden on local Committees and Shires to provide these vital community services. 

This latest addition follows on from Child Care Centres in Mukinbudin, Corrigin, Merredin, Brookton, Yilgarn, Wundowie, Bruce Rock, Narrogin. Dalwallinu, Cunderdin, Hyden and Quairading that have all joined the not-for-profit service in the past twenty months. 

Lil’ Tigers commenced operation in March 2014 in the former CWA Hall at 10 Cottrell Street Dowerin.  This was after a huge effort from the volunteer committee of Dowerin Community Childcare Inc and the Dowerin community who fundraised and worked together with the Shire of Dowerin to bring this vital service to the community.  It is now a 17 place Centre that provides long day care three days a week as well as an after-school care service for children up to 12 years of age. 

Emma Richards, Treasurer and Administrator for the Dowerin Community Childcare Inc Committee said that ‘this is a very exciting time for us after many years of hard work.  We are all looking forward to the staff being better supported and able to develop further skills to use in the Centre to continue to provide a high level of education and care to our children.

Since 2014 we have been fortunate for the support from the Shire but after the many issues that became apparent during COVID-19 the decision to merge to REED became much easier.  One of the many benefits of moving to REED is financial stability of the Centre as well as our staff being offered a higher level of support and training. REED is in a much better position to source funding for the Centre and the community will still be able to fundraise to see the Centre benefit at a local level’.

Today’s merger takes the number of REED Centres to 13.  REED is now providing 18 services in the Wheatbelt including long day care, home day care, occasional care, and after school care.