Creative kids expansion goes digital

From today eligible Creative Kids providers will be able to access up to $5000 in digital adaptation grants to help them offer creative learning activities online thanks to a $1 million injection.

This includes purchasing equipment and internet services to help them transition online so they can provide lessons to children or young people who are at home and can’t attend workshops or classes in person.

The program’s eligible activities are also being expanded to include those which support the 2020 school curriculum, with Creative Kids providers able to supply creative supplies and equipment such as instruments, art and craft supplies and other materials to children or young people.

The changes to the program announced today by Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello include:

• $1 million in digital adaptation grants of up to $5000 for Creative Kids providers to further support online delivery of Creative Kids programs
• a toolkit to help providers pivot to online delivery
• extension of the use of Creative Kids vouchers for online programs and educational materials
• improved Service NSW website to make it easier for parents to find an online provider.

Mr Perrottet said $1 million in small business grants would help arts and cultural providers deliver programs remotely providing a vital economic boost for small businesses doing it tough and keeping kids connected to quality cultural and creative activities. 

“Whether it’s school education or extra-curricular activities, we want our kids to be able to maximise every opportunity. Creative Kids has been incredibly popular, and these changes will help to ensure that continues,” Mr Perrottet said.

“At times like this, adapting your business can be the key to survival. Our digital adaptation grants will flow to more businesses and sole traders in the arts and creative industries, helping to keep people in jobs and businesses in business in a sector that has been hit hard by COVID-19.”

“They say William Shakespeare wrote King Lear in quarantine, and we want to give our own generation of budding creative geniuses every opportunity to keep honing the creative skills that will enrich our culture in the years ahead.”

Mr Dominello said the updated Service NSW Creative Kids webpage would list the eligible providers and help parents navigate the process.

“In a Covidian world we need to use technology to make life easier for people. That is why we are building a new online navigator that makes it simple and hassle free for parents to identify the right program for their children,” Mr Dominello said.

The Creative Kids program offers families an annual $100 voucher for every school aged child to contribute to registration, participation and tuition costs for performing arts, visual arts, coding, languages, literature, music and other creative and cultural activities.

Applications for the Creative Kids provider grants will open 6 May 2020. To be eligible, grant applicants must:

• be a Creative Kids Provider
• the provider must be a small business (have fewer than 20 employees). This also includes non-for-profit organisations
• clearly demonstrate adaptation and expansion of Creative Kids activities to online delivery
• describe how this support can maintain or increase voucher redemption during COVID-19
• meet the objectives of the Creative Kids program.

Find out more information including details on how to apply via Create NSW.