A new way to help parents

Carol with her children (L to R) Zichen, Zhining and Hanyin.

The City of Burnside is committed to assisting parents and their child’s development through a new program supported by the State Government, which is designed to help families feel confident in their ability to support their child’s growth.

Family Initiative Supporting Children’s Health (FISCH) is a series of workshops from local service providers for new parents on topics including social development, safe sleep, nutrition and much more.

Glenunga resident Carol Zhang, who attended a speech and development session, said the workshop was a great benefit for her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Zhining, who speaks English as a second language.

“The workshop was really helpful and talked about how to communicate through play and develop my child’s language skills,” Carol said.

“Rather than playing silently, I learned how important it was to use words when playing with toys – the word association will help to develop her (Zhining’s) language skills. I really learned a lot.

“By doing this I can improve my daughter’s English and help her to be able to speak it before she goes to school.”

Upcoming sessions in 2023 include nature play, healthy device usage, early literacy and more.

This project has received funding from the Department for Education’s Local Government Childhood Community Innovation Grant, administered by the Local Government Association of South Australia.

To find out more about the FISCH program, please email communitydevelopment@burnside.sa.gov.au or visit bit.ly/FISCHBurnside online.