Federal Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie recently visited Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest Preschool to inspect the centre’s facilities and overlook plans for further upgrades.

The Preschool has been operating for the past 39 years so many members of the Community have been involved in the Centre as students and families.

The community-based centre caters for up to 20 children daily, between 3 to 6 years of age.

Dr Gillespie congratulated the Preschool on the work it had done to date upgrading the centre’s facilities.

“Judy Clarke and her team are continuing to do a tremendous job implementing a child-centred preschool program in a wonderful environment that assists children in their pre school development and transition to school,” Dr Gillespie said.

July Clarke told News Of The Area, “We are a non-profit Community Based Preschool which means we are run by a volunteer Parent Management Committee.”

Over the past ten years the Committee and families at the Preschool have worked continually to raise funds to be able to complete the extensions.

Ms Clarke said the centre has always had the support of our local Community groups and members.

“This has been a vital support to the Centre,” she said.

“Our building is at ‘lock-up’ stage and we are now endeavouring to complete the verandah around the extension as well as a roof for this area. We also have plans in place to create a wonderful outdoor environment for the children to explore.”

Ms Clarke said, “We were very pleased to meet Dr Gillespie on his recent visit to the Centre and be able to explain the progress on the building and our aims for the completion.”

“We appreciated the opportunity to show him our Centre and what we are planning to achieve as well as his interest in our Service and the ongoing project,” she said.