Quairading Child Care Centre Joins REED

The Little Rainmakers Child Care Centre in Quairading 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 and Hyden, which have all joined the not-for-profit service in the past eighteen months.  The Quairading merger was completed on 27 July 2020 and brings the number of merges undertaken by REED to 12 Centres.  REED is now providing 18 services in the Wheatbelt including long day care, home day care, occasional care, and after school care.

The Little Rainmakers Childcare Centre was established in 2007/2008 by local Quairading Group, Little Rainmakers, who utilised funds from the successful Quairading B&S Balls to establish the Centre located at the CWA Hall. The Facility was a great partnership between Little Rainmakers Inc, the Childcare Centre Management Committee, the Quairading Branch of the Country Womens Association and the Shire of Quairading.

The Centre was well managed by the Volunteer Management Committee until Council was asked by the remaining Committee Members to take on the Licence and overall management of the Centre in 2013. In 2014, the Centre was relocated to its current premises in Murphy Street, Quairading which had for many decades been the Quairading Kindergarten / Pre-School.

The Centre has run successfully under Council’s Management but over the time there was an ever increasing burden on Council’s Administration to adequately manage and interpret Early Childhood Education Legislation and Regulations, and the Shire had actively monitored the successful efforts of REED managing similar regional Child Care Centres.

REED Quairading is a 19 place Centre located in a purpose-built building on Murphy Street, Quairading which is open 8am – 5pm Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday for long day care and after school care.  There are two permanent staff, and three casuals at the Centre.