Mum’s break withdrawn

By Lia Bichel
A MOTHER of three said the Take a Break program helped her children develop their skills and provided her with some much-needed downtime.
Lynbrook resident Katrina McGowan, 38, said she was frustrated after learning about the Take a Break funding cuts and the fallout.
Ms McGowan said her eight-year-old son Nicholas, who has Asperger’s syndrome, attended the playgroup at Hampton Park Community House five years ago and that helped him develop socialising skills.
Her youngest sons, four-year-old Flynn and two-year-old Cooper, now attend the centre’s occasional childcare and Ms McGowan said the benefits were two-fold.
“They absolutely love it. They look forward to it every week. Cooper just says, ‘bye mum’ when we get there. They love socialising with their friends and they learn a lot,” she said.
“It also gives me personal time to either catch up on housework, do some shopping, go to the doctors, get my hair cut or do my own socialising- things you can’t do with a two- year-old.”
Ms McGowan said placing her children in a day care was not an option if the program was discontinued.
“They do not need to be in full-time childcare,” she said.
“It’s just a nice time for them to interact with other children and me to get a few bits and pieces done.
“But if the program is not available it will be disappointing. It’s so important for the children, and I will have less time to myself to do the things I need to do.”