Goal:
To provide culturally-responsive programs for the personal development of the diverse children of our community; and to provide a safe place where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are celebrated.
Koobara was established in 1974 by local Aboriginal mothers whose children’s rights to an early learning experience that reflected their diverse identities and cultures, were not being met by non-Indigenous services.
Today, we benefit from the ground-breaking work of those women and their families, as our kindy continues to thrive and nurture the leaders of tomorrow. At the heart of what we do is the assertion of a sovereignty over our programs, processes and ways of knowing and being.
Koobara is community-controlled by a local, all-First-Nations board and our teaching, administration and ancillary staff are all Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people – many of whom who were either past Koobara Kindy kids, parents/grandparents of Koobara Kindy kids, or both! We know that strong communities raise strong jarjums, and Koobara is still honoured to be working with the children and families of this community decades after its founding.