Australia’s most enduring pre-school program Play School and the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) are pleased to announce a new partnership that will create a platform for Indigenous voices, perspectives, languages, art and stories.
The collaboration will explore opportunities to develop content and resources across screen, audio and online through Play School ‘cast member’ and Noongar doll, ‘Kiya’.
SWALSC’s Chief Executive Officer, Vanessa Kickett, said “Our partnership with the highly respected and long-standing children’s program, Play School, is such a wonderful opportunity to share our Noongar culture with children and families across Australia, and around the world.”
SWALSC, as the Central Services Corporation for the South West Native Title Settlement, will engage representatives from the Cultural Advice Committees from each of the six Noongar Regional Corporations to consult with Play School on Noongar history, culture and language, and educational story ideas for Kiya.
ABC Head of Children’s Libbie Doherty said: “Play School has such a cherished legacy in Australia. Its songs, stories and focus on learning through play transcends generations. We’re excited to work with SWALSC to represent First Nations Australians through Kiya on one of our most loved programs.”
Kiya first appeared on Play School’s ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ – an episode that highlights the importance of caring for Country together. While Kiya is not Play School’s first Indigenous toy, she is the first to have a connection to specific country, in being Noongar from Western Australia’s south-west. Kiya means ‘hello’ in Noongar.
Play School is an ABC Children’s Original production.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australian
and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
