April 28, 2015
IMB announced as major sponsor for Early Start Discovery Space
One of Australia’s largest building societies IMB pledges its support for UOW's Early Start Discovery Space.
IMB CEO Robert Ryan and UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings.
One of Australia’s largest building societies IMB has pledged its support for UOW's Early Start™ Discovery Space (Discovery Space), with a five-year agreement officially signed yesterday (Monday 27 April).
The Discovery Space is Australia’s only example of a ‘children’s museum’ promoting learning through play and the importance of life-long learning.
UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings CBE said IMB’s generous contribution would support the Discovery Space’s goal to create and enrich life opportunities for young Australians from birth to 12 years.
“Strongly grounded in evidence that play is integral to children’s learning and development, the Early Start Discovery Space is built on the premise that every child deserves the best possible start to life”, Professor Wellings said.
“We are thrilled to be working with IMB to build the profile of this important new destination for children, families and educators.”
IMB CEO Robert Ryan and said: “To celebrate our 135th anniversary, IMB is proud to announce a partnership with the University of Wollongong for its new destination for children and families, the Early Start Discovery Space.”
“There is nothing more important than the education and development of our children and we congratulate the University on developing this outstanding facility for the young people of the Illawarra and beyond.”
The Discovery Space is part of UOW’s $44million transformational Early Start project. The most sophisticated teaching, research and community engagement initiative in higher education, Early Start also includes an international hub for multidisciplinary research, tackling issues as varied as cognitive development, healthy lifestyles and social inclusion, cutting-edge early childhood courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a network of 41 early childhood education and care centres across New South Wales who are helping to pioneer innovation in the early years and translate research into practice.
More information: www.earlystartdiscoveryspace.edu.au
Note to media: High-resolution imagery of agreement signing available on request.
Media contact: Elise Pitt, Media & PR Officer, UOW, +61 2 4221 3079, +61 422 959 953, epitt@uow.edu.au.