Headstart Kindergarten and Preschool teacher, Danielle Bin Doraho, enjoys lunch with children enrolled at the Townsville learning centre. 

Headstart Kindergarten and Preschool in Townsville celebrated 50 years of service to the community last year.

Established after the successful 1967 referendum “yes” vote, the school was championed by original referendum campaigners including Eddie Mabo and Senator Margaret Reynolds.

The first school in Queensland especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, Headstart has always aimed to engage children early.

“I started at Headstart as a teacher’s aide 37 years ago,’ Headstart Director, Deborah Saylor, says. “I have seen many changes to the way that early childhood education and development is approached. Although methods have changed over the years, the outcomes remain the same; that is to engage with children at an early age.”

Generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have received their foundational early childhood education at Headstart. This is set to continue as ex-students enrol their children and grandchildren.

Headstart receives funding under the Australian Government’s Indigenous Advancement Strategy to support children and their families with the transition from early childhood to school.

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