St Nicholas Early Education Forster has celebrated another important milestone, with children, families and team members coming together for the centre’s official blessing and opening.
Representatives from St Nicholas, the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and Holy Name Primary School joined the centre community for the ceremony on Friday 7 August.
The occasion formally marked the opening of the purpose-built, 77-place centre, which began welcoming children and families in April and provides early education and care for children aged eight weeks to five years.
The ceremony brought the community together in reflection and song before Bishop Michael Kennedy formally blessed the centre and its children.
St Nicholas Director Mel Hill said the celebration recognised not only the opening of the new centre, but also the welcoming community that Centre Director Emily Mathers and her team had already established.
“This blessing is an important milestone, but the real story of this centre has been unfolding each day since the doors opened in April,” Mel said.
“Emily and her team have created a warm and welcoming community where children are known, families feel supported and learning is already flourishing.”
Forster became the 14th centre in the St Nicholas Early Education network and the first to open in the Great Lakes region. Together with the recent opening of St Nicholas Early Education Kotara South, it has helped grow the broader St Nicholas network to 14 early education centres and 44 services overall.
The centre features contemporary indoor and outdoor learning environments designed to encourage play-based learning, exploration and connection. Each space has been thoughtfully created to help children feel safe, supported and known as they learn and grow.
Located alongside Holy Name Primary School, the centre provides opportunities for children to build familiarity with the school’s people, routines and environment before they begin Kindergarten.
Regular engagement between the centre and school helps children develop relationships and confidence, reducing some of the uncertainty that can come with starting school and creating a stronger sense of continuity for families.
“Being located alongside Holy Name Primary School creates a genuine learning pathway, rather than simply having two services sharing a site,” Mel said.
“Through regular engagement with the school, children can build familiarity, relationships and confidence well before their first day of Kindergarten, while families benefit from a stronger sense of continuity and belonging.”
The opening also responds to the limited availability of early childhood education and care experienced by families across Forster and the wider Mid North Coast.
The centre’s 77 places represent meaningful additional capacity for the region, giving more local children access to high-quality early learning close to home.
Increasing access to early education and care also delivers benefits beyond the centre itself. It supports children during a critical stage of their development, enables more parents and carers to participate in work or study, and helps local employers attract and retain the workforce their community depends upon.
“Early education and care is essential community infrastructure,” Mel said.
“No single centre can resolve the broader shortage of places across the Mid North Coast, but 77 additional places in Forster will make a tangible difference, giving more children access to early learning and helping more parents and carers participate in work, study and community life.”
To learn more about St Nicholas Early Education Forster, click here.
