Rolling up to school safe and with style: Car seats gifted to childcare centre in Flaxmere

Beau Faioso, Andre Robertson and other children from Punavai O Le Gagana Samoa Trust Early Learning Centre in Flaxmere with team leader Toa Elia, and their brand new car seats. Photo / Paul Taylor

A Samoan early learning centre in Flaxmere has received a large donation from the Mazda Foundation Trust to help with the daily school run.

Punivai o Le Gagana Samoa early learning Centre and trust was gifted $4765 from the foundation to purchase 15 brand new car seats for the centre's operation vans.

The early learning centre uses the vans to transport children to and from the centre if family is unable to.

Punivai o Le Gagana Samoa team leader Toa Elia said being able to upgrade their car seats with the money from the foundation is a big help.

"Our school is non-profit. We rely on grants from the Government and any support to assist us. It means a lot," Elia said.

"It means all of the kids' car seats have been updated and upgraded for their health and safety - we were having difficulties trying to get more support for us."

She said even the children were excited to get new car seats for their journeys.

"They all know where they sit, and rush into the van."

Elia said they use their vans to pick up and drop off more than half of the children at the school, making several round trips daily.

"It's our way of helping the families because parents also need to work - we pick them up and get them to school without any worry," she said.

The centre is comprised mainly of low socio-economic, new or first-generation immigrants wanting better opportunities for their children and family.

The trust also has the only completely Samoan immersive early childhood education experience for the Samoan community in the area.

"We're a Samoan-based language centre but it's multicultural, we take everybody and we make sure that we care and value other children's backgrounds," she added.

The foundation was established in 2005 as a public charitable trust to provide assistance to a broad cross–section of worthy charitable entities, causes and individuals.