Pre-schoolers at a Northern Beaches Council child care centre have joined an elite Australia-wide group introduced to the STEM education subjects.

Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said engaging young children in science, technology, engineering and mathematics helped develop confident, enquiring students ready to take up study in STEM subjects at school and university.

“Northern Beaches Council’s Belrose Children’s Centre is one of only 100 early education centres Australia-wide to participate in the Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA) program.

“We know those early years are critical, so it’s great that our programs and dedicated early educators are making a difference to young lives across our community.

“Pre-school staff receive intensive training, giving them skills and confidence to introduce STEM into our pre-school program,” Mayor Regan said.

The program includes four apps developed by researchers at the University of Canberra specifically for pre-schoolers.

Families will be able to use the apps to extend STEM learning opportunities for their children at home.

The Australian Government has provided $6 million funding nationally for the program.