Yeehaw! Join us for an evening of free family fun including a live performance by the Mucky Duck Bush Band! There will also be a free photobooth to capture those funny family moments like dad's dancing, and free sausage sizzle (plus sandwiches and muffins) and a free coffee voucher for each adult.

Celebrate National Families Week at this fun annual event by bringing your children or grandkids (up to 10 years) and your best dance moves!

My Time returns to Tuesdays

My Time is our free Aboriginal parent and grandparent support group. The group yarns about experiences and family connections, listens to engaging speakers, does fun craft and receives support.

It's open to Aboriginal families at the Coolbellup Hub on Tuesdays during school terms from midday until 2pm. Lunch is provided, as well as a free creche for the children, and we offer free transport!

Join us at Coolbellup Hub, 90 Cordelia Ave, Coolbellup.

Registration for the free transport and creche is required, please click the link below for more information.

Participate in the Belonging Across Borders survey

Calling all children 17 years and under from a multicultural background.

The Commissioner for Children and Young People of WA's job is to listen to the voices of children and young people – including those who have moved to Australia from other countries and those who were born here but whose parents are from overseas.
She wants to hear about children and youth experiences and what would help other children and young people who come to Australia to live. Please ask your children or teens to fill out her survey, called Belonging Across Borders. No names or addresses are needed, and the survey closes on Monday 3 June.

New study findings about screen time in young children

Recent research by the Telethon Kids Institute into 220 Australian families over two years shows young children’s language skills are reduced by 1000 words per day due to exposure to television, phones, and other screens.

By using technology, the number of words spoken by, to and around a child was measured. The highest association between screen time and language skills was at age three. The study found the average three-year-old was exposed to almost three hours of screen time a day, which was over 1,139 fewer adult words, 843 fewer child words and 194 fewer conversations. The study couldn’t capture adult silent phone use, so screen usage could be affecting children even more.

The authors suggest interventions should focus on reducing these barriers so that there is a language-rich environment including identifying different ways that screen time could facilitate parent-child interactions such as through interactive co-viewing.