• Welcome from the Chair

Welcome to the website of the newly established Tasmanian Early Years Foundation! This is an exciting period in the life of the Foundation as we move rapidly towards our first grant round in September and our formal launch in November 2007, under the energetic leadership of Rebecca Smith, our CEO.

The Foundation has been fortunate in appointing a strong and committed Board who bring considerable skills and experience to the organization, and are all passionate about making a difference for young children and their families. Board meetings to date have been lively affairs, and we look forward to inviting some of those working in the early years sector to discuss their work with us at future meetings. Activities to date have focused mainly on the building blocks: establishing our governance structure, setting up a robust process for grant applications, and developing our initial research strategy.

While we receive our basic funding from the Tasmanian Government, one of our major tasks is to build on these funds substantially, through seeking sponsorships, building partnerships, and receiving donations from the business sector as well as individuals and organizations in the community. This will be an ongoing task for the Foundation.

Parenting is always a challenge, and particularly so for families faced with low incomes, unstable housing, illness or other stresses. The Foundation intends to highlight the importance of supporting young families, and through its work to provide better opportunities and outcomes for all Tasmanian children. This won’t be done overnight, but we are convinced that by all working together and with your support we can surely make a difference!