Council Launches ‘Crawl and Play’ Program
Published on 31 March 2023
Mansfield ‘Crawl and Play’ will commence in Term 2, 2023, following Council partnering with VicHealth to support the health and wellbeing of young people in Mansfield Shire.
The structured play program is for local children up to five years of age and aims to support the development of physical and cognitive skills, while providing an opportunity for both children and parents/carers to socially connect.
“The idea for the program was born out of the Mansfield Respond Project, when a need was identified by our community to provide a structured/active play opportunity for local children and their families,” said Nola Bales, Manager Community Health & Wellbeing.
“We would like to thank VicHealth for backing our idea so we can create an exciting new program for young people in our community.”
The ‘Crawl and Play’ program is one of the 180 local ideas VicHealth has backed through its Jumpstart! initiative, which will provide more than $3.5 million to communities across the state to promote active and connected communities of young people.
In addition, Council recently joined the VicHealth Local Government Partnership as a fast-track council, which will enable the implementation of new initiatives, build upon existing activities, and engage more widely with the community alongside a support network of councils and health promotion experts.
Mayor Cr James Tehan said the new VicHealth Local Government partnership and ‘Mansfield Crawl and Play’ program will enhance the work Council is currently doing in the community to improve social connection and physical activity.
“Council collaborates with many other community and government partners to deliver programs to protect, improve and promote the health and wellbeing of individuals and families in the community,” he said.
“We are proud to deliver health and wellbeing activities in partnership with Mansfield District Hospital as part of the Mansfield Respond Project.”
More information on times, location and registration for Mansfield Crawl and Play will become available in the coming weeks.
For further information on JumpStart! please visit VicHealth - JumpStart. or the Local Government Partnership page vichealth.vic.gov.au