Healthy Harold Program Assured to Continue Despite Budget CutsHealthy Harold Program Assured to Continue Despite Budget Cuts Life Ed NSW has reassured schools and families that the beloved Healthy Harold program will not be scaled back, despite the Department of Education’s decision to cease central funding in June 2023. The program, which focuses on physical, safety, and social-emotional well-being, has been critical in supporting students across New South Wales. Life Ed NSW CEO Jonathon Peatfield stressed that the program remains in high demand and will continue to expand its reach. While the funding cuts will require schools to pay a “per-pupil delivery fee” for the program, Life Ed is committed to working with the education sector to ensure its services remain accessible to all schools. Despite concerns raised by politicians and families, Mr. Peatfield emphasized that Life Ed has introduced innovative methods, such as outdoor pop-up classrooms and virtual classroom studios, to reach students in regional and remote communities. These advancements have created a contemporary and engaging learning experience that effectively promotes healthy choices. Life Ed’s goal remains to provide every school and community in New South Wales with access to the Healthy Harold program, empowering children to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.
The Healthy Harold program visited more than 70 schools and early childhood education centres in the Riverina in 2023 and plans to visit more in 2024, despite budget cuts. Photo: Life Ed NSW.
Life Ed NSW CEO Jonathon Peatfield has assured schools and families that the popular preventative health education program Healthy Harold will not be scaled back despite budget cuts.
This week, politicians and families across the state raised concerns about the future of the Healthy Harold program after it was announced that the Department of Education would stop centrally funding Life Ed NSW in June 2023.
The New South Wales government has cut funding under the 2023/24 budget. To reduce costs, schools must provide health education in schools.
Because Life Ed requires funding and donations to operate, schools had to pay a “per-pupil delivery fee” to access the program. However, with the government cutting public school budgets by 1.25 percent by 2024, blaming a drop in enrollment, schools are skipping the health education service to cut costs.
Despite concerns about schools choosing to skip Life Ed services, Mr Peatfield stressed that the program was successful in 2024 and was well placed to support schools in NSW, with 74 schools in the Riverina visited this year alone.
“The Life Ed program is delivered to over 1,200 primary schools in NSW,” he said.
“It supports nearly 14,000 teachers and 265,000 children and their parents through educational programs that focus on the physical, safety and social-emotional well-being of children and young people.
“Life Ed is not scaling down and is in a strong position to support schools in NSW. Funding is an ongoing discussion for Life Ed, as it is for any charity.
“Our focus is on supporting schools and we have been steadily expanding our reach since COVID. The Life Ed program is in high demand, seeing over 76,000 children and young people in NSW in Term 2 and we are almost fully booked for Term 3, with some availability for the end of Term 4.”
Mr Peatfield said Life Ed will continue to work with government and the education sector to bring “the magic of Healthy Harold” into as many classrooms as possible.
“Our goal is for every school and community in NSW to have access to the Healthy Harold program, supporting children to thrive,” he said.
Mr Peatfield said previous funding through the NSW DoE had enabled Life Ed to use innovative methods to deliver its programs to as many children as possible.
“We have introduced our outdoor pop-up classrooms, equipped with purpose-built pick-ups with the latest learning technologies, to reach more children in regional and remote communities,” he said.
“We also launched virtual classroom studios, enabling live-streamed lessons directly into classrooms or any location. Our iconic Transparent Anatomical Model (TAM) underwent a digital transformation into TAM-e, featuring 3D and augmented reality software.
“Students can now explore the nervous, digestive and respiratory systems and see first-hand the impact that substances such as tobacco, alcohol and drugs have on their bodies.”
According to Mr. Peatfield, with these innovations, Life Ed has created a contemporary and impactful learning experience that is unlike anything else.
“By engaging them (students) in activities that build critical knowledge and skills for health and well-being, we empower them to make positive choices,” he said.
