Let Lifestart help you with your Christmas shopping. Come along to the Lifestart Twilight Markets presented by our Inner West Branch. They are open from 6pm on Thursday 3 December at Ardill House, 132 Davidson Avenue, North Strathfield. See Events for more details.

Lifestart’s major government funding body has been the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC). On 1 July 2009 a departmental restucture in state government established the Department of Human Services as a division of Government Service, which removed all branches from DADHC and adding them to this newly created department. The full name of the new agency is ‘Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Human Services NSW’ (ADHC).  This new name change will not affect Lifestart’s current relationship with ADHC.

Lifestart Eastern Sydney has been operating out of Maroubra Bay Public School for the past eight years. The school continues to be very supportive but an increase in enrolments for 2010 means it will require the classrooms Lifestart has been using and Lifestart will be vacating the school at the end of this year. Lifestart is the only Early Childhood Intervention Service in the eastern Sydney region with 50 children receiving services and another 50 on the waiting list. If you are reading this and know of possible premises, Lifestart would like to hear from you. Please contact Lauren Egan, Area Manager Lifestart Eastern Sydney on 9344 4081 or 0424 194 770.

The NSW Department of Education & Training continues to revise its website and information relevant to the education of students with disabilities is now far more accessible. A link directly from the home page goes to an introductory page linked to a wide range of resources and documants. Headed ‘Disability Programs’, the page also lists all public schools with support classes and special schools. The type of disability catered for by each school is clearly identified. Visit the site at www.det.nsw.edu.au.