Working with our community
Direct Credit is excited to announce its support of The Smith Family
Direct Credit is proud to be a sponsor of The Smith Family Charity Not all children get an equal start in life.
Today, one in six Australian children and young people are living in poverty, where even life’s basics are hard to come by.
When families are experiencing financial disadvantage children can fall behind with their learning, leaving them more vulnerable to experiencing hardship themselves later in the life
100 years of working with Australian families
The Smith Family has been working to improve the lives of children living in disadvantage for 100 years.
Over that time, The Smith Family has evolved to become a modern, dynamic, evidence-based organisation that helps children in need create better futures for themselves through long-term support for their education throughout Australia.
Today they are supporting 58,000 students on their flagship Learning for Life program, helping to break the cycle of disadvantage through targeted, long-term support for their education – and they are expanding careers education programs, providing even more opportunities to help students transition from school, tertiary education or training into the workforce.
Working across Australia in 90 communities
The communities have been identified as having higher concentrations of families living in economic disadvantage and are across all Australian states and territories. As Australia’s largest national education charity, they support disadvantaged Australian children to participate fully in their education, giving them the best chance at breaking the cycle of disadvantage. The Smith Family out-of-school learning support and mentoring programs help children in need to fit in at school, keep up with their peers, and build aspirations for a better future for themselves.
Poverty in Australia
Not all children get an equal start in life.
Research shows children and young people living in disadvantage have access to fewer books and learning materials in the home. Access to support and resources forms the foundation for learning. In many cases, the parents of disadvantaged children may not have the skills or experience to support their child’s education. As these children get older, they have fewer role models, and access to mentors and networks that are critical for creating educational opportunities to help them build their aspirations and be motivated to learn.
