Background & History

Mobile Children’s Services provide flexible, responsive and innovative services to children and families experiencing social, geographic, cultural or economic isolation. Focusing on the care and education of children, they aim to ensure that the children and families in isolated and disadvantaged communities in rural, urban and remote areas have access to good quality and safe children’s services, on a similar basis to other members of the NSW community. A significant number of children in NSW would not have the opportunity to participate in early childhood activities without the access provided by Mobile Children’s Services.

Most Mobile Children’s Services in NSW are involved in the direct care and education of children. Services aim to support the achievement of a child’s full developmental potential.

As well as facilitating the normal development processes of children, Mobile Children’s Services have a long history in the ‘intervention support’ of children with additional needs, as well as ‘early intervention and time-out support’ of children in ‘at risk’ circumstances, or where parents simply need respite.

The day to day operation of many of the services involves the participation of parents. This is particularly so in our play sessions, where parents stay at the session and participate in the program. This is a welcome socialising opportunity for parents, and also creates the opportunity to learn about and discuss community and parenting issues.

This embeddedness in their communities makes them an ideal vehicle to provide a range of important services to children and families. They act as a non-stigmatised entry point to the community service system. Their flexibility allows them to respond to the changing needs of their communities as well as allows them to support the initiative of other community, health, or educational agencies.

Mobile Children’s Services are an essential part of the social fabric, community service, and educational infrastructure in many areas of NSW. The hands-on/can do nature of the services, and the commitment of the dedicated staff and committees, make them a trusted and valuable part of their many communities.

History

Galloping Gumnut began operations on 2nd July 1984 as an extension of the services offered by Gumnut House Child Care Centre in Lithgow.

Why go mobile? Well, a compact, almost self contained childcare service that can visit a number of areas was at that time the cheapest viable means of providing appropriate experiences to under 5’s in areas where there was too small a population or where it was too remote to justify a permanent centre-based preschool or childcare.

Galloping Gumnut originally operated from a trailer which was towed by an assortment of vehicles; from staff cars to hire cars, and on occasions, tow trucks!

In January 1985, as a result of a Commonwealth Employment Program grant, a full time assistant was employed. Later in the same year the Department of Social Security provided funds for a bus and staffing/operating costs for a further year.

After much hard work and effort, by staff that have now moved on, we received funding from the Department of Families, Community Services, through the Rural and Remote Children’s Program.

In 1994 the Service relocated from its small office space in Read Avenue, Lithgow to new premises in Proto Avenue, Lithgow, adjacent to Gumnut House. We expanded our storage facility in 1997 and maintained the Service in many of the outlying areas. In July 2006 we relocated from Proto Avenue into new larger premises at 131 Mort Street, Lithgow.

The Service, was at that time, very heavily involved with the local Lithgow Child Protection Interagency, Spread the Word Committee, and NSW Committee for Mobile Children’s Services.

In 2009 we received funding under the Preschool Investment Reform Program which enabled us to begin operating Preschools for 3-5 year olds; firstly at O’Connell, taking over the existing Carabella Preschool and then later in 2010 opening at Perthville in the grounds of the Public School. In Septembe 2017 we also began operating an After School Care Service in Perthville.

In 2018 with the changes to the Child Care Package, the Management Committee, at the time, had to make a major decision about the future direction of the Service. This resulted in Galloping Gumnut having to reduce the number of Play Sessions and begin to operate Child Care, funded through the Commonwealth Community Child Care Restricted Funding program in conjunction with the Child Care Subsidy system.

We currently operate two State Funded Preschools (O’Connell and Perthville), three Long Day Care venues (Oberon, O’Connell and Perthville, an After School Care at Perthville as well as Play Sessions in Lithgow (Noah’s Ark Babies Group), Kelso at the Hub, Hargraves in the Public School Grounds, O’Connell and Perthville.

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