Right now, QLD & NSW communities are being impacted by floods. Many people have lost their homes and their businesses, entire communities are displaced.

The Koori Curriculum is coordinating relief packages and assistance for early childhood educators as part of the Northern Rivers Preschool Alliance who have been detrimentally impacted by the 2022 floods.

So far, we know that Ballina River Street Preschool, Coraki Preschool, St Mary’s Casino, Lismore Preschool and East Lismore Preschool have been inundated, they will have lost everything and have extensive damage to their buildings.

Casino Baptist Preschool, Bentley Preschool, and Evans Head-Woodburn Preschools have had water in the buildings.

We know this list will grow as many more early learning services are without power and internet at this stage and flood waters have not receded.

This does not begin to cover the number of families and Educators in these communities who have also lost their homes.

During these times Australians have a rich tradition of banding together to support in any way they can.

This can be through:

• Monetary donations
• Physical donations such as clothes, toys, books, food etc.
• Sharing the word on social media
• Engaging with your networks to spread the word and find donations

As the situation is still ongoing we are working with our contacts to sort out the best way people can support these communities and will be updating this page as more information becomes available.

Many of the staff and families in these communities remain isolated by floodwaters or have lost their homes, so will be unable to assist with clean up in the early learning services.

This will exacerbate existing staff shortages as many staff will be unable to attend work for some time, not just in these early learning services but in many preschools across the region.

They are attempting to continue to pay their staff while they are off work, but this will cause financial strain for many early learning services. Some financial relief for this is needed so they can continue to pay people who are already struggling.

Many of their early learning services families have been displaced. Most have lost everything except for the clothes they were evacuated in.

They have experienced significant trauma, having been evacuated by boat or helicopter, some in the dark, after waiting on their rooftops or in their ceilings.

These families will need a lot of support, including care for their children while they begin the heartbreaking task of cleaning their homes and businesses and trying to salvage what they can, deal with insurance companies, and support other family members.

We will be regularly updating this page as more information comes to light, to stay informed via email please complete this form.

Jessica Staines (Koori Curriculum) discusses the impacts the floods are having on QLD & NSW communities with Cath Gillespie, an educator from Evans Head Preschool.To donate financially:

https://www.gofundme.com/.../support-community-preschools...

To donate resources please contact info@kooricurriculum.com

The Koori Curriculum is coordinating relief packages and assistance for early childhood educators as part of the Northern Rivers Preschool Alliance who have been detrimentally impacted by the 2022 floods.

Are you looking for a way to explain the recent floods to the children in your early learning service?

Are the children interested in getting involved but not sure where to start?

Koori Curriculum have created a free lesson plan with ideas compiled for educators to use with children who have experienced flooding as well as with children who have not been affected and would like to understand more and help.

Complete the below form and we will send you the lesson plan, we will also subscribe you to our flood support updates so you can stay aware of what is taking place to help flood affected communities