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Gunnedah, NSW – In a pioneering move, the Parent & Citizens Association (P&C) of Gunnedah South Public School, in partnership with Sound Scouts, has supported an innovative hearing screening program for its students. Sound Scouts incorporates the science of a hearing test in a fun game based app, making it the perfect hearing test for kids.
The initiative by the P&C to fund the Screening Program highlights the school’s commitment to ensure the well-being and academic success of its 600-strong student body, particularly the 42% identifying as Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander. Need to fund the Program came as a response to reduced access to alternate hearing services.
The school’s Principal, recognising the urgent need for an easy to administer hearing screener, proposed the Sound Scouts program, which will initially be used to screen all Kindergarten students. The decision to implement the Sound Scouts program was unanimous, driven by a shared understanding of the critical yet often overlooked importance of hearing in a child’s development. “Hearing seems to be one of those things that people take for granted,” remarked the P&C President, whose personal connection to hearing issues within her own family underscored the program’s necessity.
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The initiative has garnered support from all members of the P&C, including those with professional backgrounds in education and speech therapy, reflecting a community-wide focus on the wellbeing of their students. “We want to do what is best for our kids,” the President added, emphasising the P&C’s approach to fundraising and community engagement through regular smaller scale events like raffles and cake stalls.
The initiative to support the Program is a testament to the Gunnedah South Public School P&C’s dedication to its students but also serves as a rallying call to other P&Cs across the nation. The message is clear: the health and academic potential of our children is paramount, and with proactive hearing screening for all school starters, significant improvements in their quality of life and learning can be achieved.
Gunnedah South Public School’s P&C invites other P&Cs to consider the importance of hearing screening. “It’s not something parents whose kids don’t have obvious hearing issues think about, but hearing is so important,” the President concluded, hoping to inspire the initiative in schools across Australia.
With World Hearing Day occurring on 3rd March, this is the perfect time to build hearing awareness in our school communities.
For further information, to learn how your P&C can implement a similar program, please contact Sound Scouts on 1300 424 122 or reach out to Lisa at contact@soundscouts.com.au
Note: Sound Scouts is downloadable on smartphones or tablets through the App Store, Google Play or Microsoft Store. Testing takes 10 mins and schools can access heavily discounted annual subscriptions.
