Official opening of $600,000 Canning Vale Community Centre

27/7/95

There will be 100 places available next year in the four-year-old program at the new Canning Vale Community Centre, Family and Children's Services Minister Roger Nicholls said today.

Mr Nicholls made the announcement when he and the Mayor of Canning, Dr Mick Lekias, officially opened the $600,000 centre this afternoon.

The centre was funded by the Canning City Council and the State Government.

The program for four-year-olds began at the centre on Tuesday, with places for 40 children.

Mr Nicholls said that because the program was located in the new community centre, it would be among the last to be transferred to the Education Department, probably in 1999.

There would be consultation with the management committee and parents in planning other family and support programs in the area.

These would have a particular focus on reinforcing the role of parents, because it was clear from all research and practical experience that parents were the most powerful influences on the lives of their children.

"The Government and the community need to put their faith in parents and support in carrying out their responsibilities, which are unique to each child," Mr Nicholls said.

The Community Centre in Waratah Boulevard, adjacent to the Canning Vale Primary School, consists of a large meeting room, a children's activity area, two counselling or office rooms, a lobby area designed to be used for displays of information, a hall, and a child health clinic with a waiting room that can be used as a meeting room when the clinic is not in use.  

Mr Nicholls said he had proposed the centre to the Canning City Council as a superior alternative to the department building family centres and the local authority building other facilities in isolation from one another.

By combining their resources, State and local governments could provide a wider range of facilities, which would continue to be valuable to the community as the age range of families living in the area changed. 

Media contact:  Hugh Ryan  221 5468