National Youth Week is held in April every year for people aged 12 – 24. It is an annual celebration for young people and provides an opportunity to share ideas, raise issues, attend events and celebrate their contribution to the community.

A detailed description of how Youth Week will be celebrated locally will be released here before each annual event.

Sign up to the eNews for updates on youth events.

The Go4Fun program is a healthy lifestyle program for children aged 7-13 years who are above their healthy weight. The program is orgnaised by the Sydney Local Health District, runs after-school during the school term and is free for eligible families. More information can be found here.

Think, Eat and Move is a free healthy lifestyle program for 13-17 year olds. They provide guidance, resources and solutions to help you lead a healthier lifestyle. This program is completed through convenient online sessions and phone-based health coaching. Work towards your goals, your way, on your time. More information can be found here.

Youth off the Streets is a free service working alongside young people and their families to create safety and give them the skills and opportunities to reach their full potential. You can find more information here.

Strathfield Council has over 25 playgrounds located in parks and reserves throughout the Strathfield area. These playgrounds are designed for many different age groups, and each playground provides a different range of activities for its users. Improvements and maintenance aim to ensure that playgrounds meet a diverse range of current and future community needs including specific age groups and people with disabilities. For a complete list of playgrounds, click here.

A comprehensive list of child care centres and other service providers can be found in the Community Information Directory.

The Advocate for Children and Young People (ACYP) has produced a new video resource, Life Skills.

The Life Skills resource is a series of videos, created with a goal to provide young people with support as they transition to adulthood.

ACYP has regularly heard from children and young people that they want more opportunities to learn information about practical life skills. Young people often tell us that, in addition to the education and supports they already receive, they want more access to practical, real-life advice – including support on how to manage one’s health, finances, employment and households.

The overall purpose of these Life Skills videos is to help young people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically communicate effectively and cope with and manage their lives in a healthy and productive manner.

Click here to access Life Skills.

1. First Lap Voucher

The first lap voucher is for parents, guardians and carers of children aged 3-6 years who are not enrolled in school, to apply for a $50 voucher towards the cost of swimming lessons.

The voucher can be used for a structured swimming lesson program with an approved First Lap provider.

This voucher is valid until 30 June 2024.

If you are interested in your child taking part in this program, please visit the website to apply online: Service NSW – First Lap Voucher

If you are looking for a location to use this voucher, please visit Enfield Aquatic Centre’s page for contact details: Burwood Council – Enfield Aquatic Centre

2. Active Kids Voucher

The Active Kids program provides a $50 voucher for parents, guardians and carers of school-enrolled children to use towards sport and active recreation costs each year.

The vouchers may be used with a registered activity provider for registration, participation and membership costs for sport, fitness and active recreation activities.

If you are interested in applying for this voucher or would like some more information, please visit the website: Service NSW – Active Kids Voucher

If you are looking for a registered provider in this program, please visit the following website to find what is available near you: Service NSW – Active Kids Providers

3. Creative Kids Voucher

The Creative Kids Voucher is all about making it easier for school-aged kids (4.5 to 18 years old) to get involved in creative and cultural activities.

Parents, guardians and carers can claim a $50 voucher to put towards the cost of lessons and fees with registered providers.

It’s a great opportunity to let kids find their passion and learn new skills.

Vouchers can be used to contribute to registration, participation and tuition costs for performing arts, visual arts, coding, languages, literature, music and other creative and cultural activities with our approved list of activity providers.

If you are interested in applying for this voucher or would like some more information, please visit the website: Service NSW – Creative Kids Voucher

If you are looking for a registered provider in this program, please visit the following website to find what is available near you: Service NSW – Creative Kids Providers

If your child is eligible and enrolled at an eligible community or mobile preschool, fee relief funding will reduce your fees up to a maximum of $4,220 per year.

From early 2023, this fee relief is available to all eligible families through the Start Strong for Community Preschools program.

The fee relief will be passed on to you by your community or mobile preschool service as a reduction to your fees. Services will let you know a fee relief reduction has been made to your fees, such as via a regular invoice, statement from the service, or other means.

You will still need to pay any remaining fees and/or levies after the fee relief has been applied.

For more information, please visit Start Strong for families (nsw.gov.au).

Community and mobile preschool fee relief – families flyer:

– Arabic

– Chinese Simplified

– English

– Hindi

Long day care preschool fee relief – families flyer:

– Arabic

– Chinese Simplified

– English

– Hindi

Beyond is a free, highly personalised digital careers platform that helps Australian high school students discover their future pathway.

Click here to access Beyond