Two more Tasmanian schools will receive upgrades to expand before and after school care as part of a $10 million state government investment.
Education Minister Jo Palmer announced Scottsdale Primary School and Dodges Ferry Primary School will undergo works to increase available places.
They join Howrah Primary School, Beaconsfield Primary School and Forth Primary School, which were announced earlier this year.
Across the five schools, the upgrades will deliver 115 additional places for children in outside school hours care.
“For many families, reliable before and after school care is essential to balancing work and caring responsibilities,” Palmer said.
“This investment will make a real difference for working families, particularly in areas where access to care has been limited or demand continues to grow.”
Works across the five schools will begin during the 2027 and 2028 school years.
Palmer made the announcement at Beaconsfield Primary School, where principal Daisy Stephens said demand for care had long outstripped supply.
Stephens said families new to the area were regularly being knocked back when seeking places.
“Having this opportunity to nearly double the opportunities for before and after school care will be great for our community,” she said.
The school will go from 38 places to 78.
Carrie Tasker, a parent at the school, said the expansion would help families who had been unable to return to work.
“A lot of people haven’t been able to work, return to the workforce and they’ve been knocked back from down the road,” Tasker said.
Laura Clark, vice chair of the school association and a parent of three children at the school, said the extra places would ease pressure on families in the region.
“It’s gonna encourage a lot of families to be able to get back into the workforce and not have to rely on other family members to watch their kids before and after school,” Clark said.
