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Charlottes
Web directory aims to give ADF parents access to services
for their children.
Photo by Cpl Jason Weeding, 1JPAU(P)
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Offering
ADF parents world wide access
Charlottes
Web Directory
BEING
a parent in the ADF is challenging enough; doing it when the resources
for child rearing and support are thousands of miles away in Australia
can be even more difficult.
Charlottes
Web Directory (CWD) is an innovative concept developed by Sharon
Moten when she was posted overseas for two years with her husband
and young family.
Sharon
said it didn't take long to see the help that was out there for
parents in her situation was hard to find in the few spare minutes
of her busy day.
"I
was frustrated at spending hours searching by foot or phone for
the services and products I needed," she said.
"Something
as simple as advice on settling a newborn often seemed a huge task."
Sharon
served in the Army Education Corps and specialized in Educational
Technology, which led her to developing CWD, a hard copy publication
and interactive website which lists sites relevant to Aussie families.
"Living
in a remote situation, I turned to the internet. I listed the services
and products that I used as an Aussie parent."
"CWD
is a concise listing of where to go to find information for yourself,
at anytime of the day, with no sales pressure or advertising cons."
CWD
lists trusted and secure sites. Some of the sections listed include
shopping online, health and safety sites, kids sites, and sites
for special occasions.
Example
SEARCH
engines on the Internet do come up with results and sites that may
help, so why would you require CWD?
CWD
cuts the hours and cost of frustrating sites away. For example,
you can use CWD to identify a directory site for childcare centres
in Australia.
The
Australian Childcare Directory (www.echildcare.com.au)
contains a list of every registered childcare centre in Australia.
There
you will find the location and full contact details of the service
and a direct link to the centres website, if they have one.
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