Mallee Track and RFDS deliver local solutions

Madeleine Rumbold has been an early learning educator at the Sea Lake Mallee Minors Child Care Centre for eight years, and Room Leader for the past five, so she understands the impact of local services like Flying Doctor Speech Therapy for parents and educators.

“We care for children from six weeks to school age. We’re all in the one room together so it is a somewhat chaotic day,” laughs Madeleine, “but it is a very fun-filled day. And it keeps us on our toes!”

Working closely with children of all ages, Madeleine and her team can often be the first people to notice when children are having difficulty learning and socialising – something often caused by speech development issues.

“It is so hard when you see a child struggling. There's only so much we as teachers can do before you need a speech therapist to come in and workout some strategies.”

Madeleine believes the partnership between RFDS Victoria, Mallee Track Health and Community Service and Robinvale District Health Service to deliver speech therapy is a key reason the program has been so widely embraced by teachers and parents.

Through the program, Flying Doctor Speech Therapy works closely with early education teachers to identify kids who may need speech therapy and ensure they don’t fall behind their peers.

“Having the service next door to the preschool and our daycare center has made the communities confidence in the program stronger because they know that we're all working together.

“Now, I can just walk the kids next door. The Speech Therapy team made it work for us. They made it work for the families. And especially for the kids themselves.”

This close working relationship also helps with addressing the reluctance some parents may have with having a speech assessment done. 

“When I was a little girl there was a stigma that if you attended speech therapy there was something wrong with you. No parent ever sent their kids to be tested because God forbid there was going to be something ‘wrong’ with your child.

“But now we let parents know that the sooner you get onto it, the better for your child. With the service next door, parents are easily able get their kids screened.

“And because it’s a free service parents are more likely to jump on it right away and think, ‘Yep, I'll get them assessed. What have I got to lose?’"

Madeleine says seeing the progress of the kids is phenomenal.

“We’ve seen kids’ speech come on in leaps and bounds. Sometimes you think, ‘The speechies won’t be able to fix this for months’ but then within just four sessions, there’s an amazing difference - it's just outstanding.

“I feel like they are my own kids sometimes because I get that proud and happy for them.

"Speaking for my team at the Sea Lake day center – that’s all we want – for the families to be happy and the kids to be happy within themselves.”