More than one million school children across NSW are now eligible for the State Government’s new annual $100 Active Kids voucher.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian along with Penrith MP and Sports Minister Stuart Ayres visited Eileen Cammack Reserve in South Penrith on Wednesday morning, to launch the exciting new initiative.
Ms Berejiklian said all parents with school-aged children will have help to cover the cost of sports and active recreation fees.
“This is a fantastic boost for parents because we know the cost of kids’ sport and activities can really add up. Active Kids is one of the ways the NSW Government is easing cost of living pressures on families,” she said.
“We have allocated $207 million over the next four years to help parents with the costs of getting their kids into sport.”
Active Kids will contribute $100 for every child towards the cost of sports registration, membership expenses and fees for physical activities such as swimming, dance lessons and athletics.
However, not all sports are part of the program, with strict guidelines set in place for eligibility.
“To be able to access this program, you must participate in a structured program for sport that lasts at least eight weeks and the sporting organisation must be registered as an Active Kids provider,” Mr Ayres said.
“Kids must participate in a sport that’s moderate physical activity, so sports like billiards or static shooting is not included in the scheme.”
Local parents can now register online with Service NSW to receive their $100 voucher to provide to their approved sport or physical activity club or organisation.
“Active kids are happy and healthy kids and this is going to make a difference to many families. This program means that every child in the state has the opportunity to be fit and active in their community,” Mr Ayres said.
“From today parents can visit the Active Kids website to see a list of approved providers.
“More organisations will be added in the weeks ahead.”
Speaking with the Weekender, Scouts NSW Chief Commissioner Neville Tomkins praised the Active Kids program.
“This is a wonderful initiative for the many families of scouting,” he said.
“This will help to maintain and grow scouting memberships and will get our young people out into the community.
“We’ve already redeemed a number of the vouchers manually and the response has been very positive.”
Parents have until December 31 to claim and use their voucher. For more information, visit sport.nsw.gov.au/activekids.
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender’s Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.
