The Allan Labor Government is delivering more kindergarten places and modern early learning facilities for families.
Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn today announced the recipients of $24.1 million to build and expand kinders and begin planning for new kindergarten projects across the state.
Six services will receive over $22.8 million to create 608 new kinder places through the Labor Government's Building Blocks Capacity Grants, ensuring that more families with young children have access to up-to-date kinder services closer to home.
Building Blocks Capacity grants support the early learning sector to build new facilities. The investment includes $9 million to help create 237 kindergarten places at Mernda Hills Early Learning Centre, funding for 59 kindergarten places at each South Castlemaine Kindergarten, Swifts Creek P-12 Flagstaff and Nagambie Primary School.
The Labor Government is investing an additional $1.3 million for planning new kindergarten building projects in ten local councils and kindergarten service providers.
Building Blocks Planning grants help councils and kindergarten providers plan the projects needed to meet future demand for three- and four-year-old kindergarten in their local area.
Funding can support project management and pre-construction work, such as architecture and design planning, soil testing and geo-technical services. Other activities can include construction costing works, environmental sustainability assessments and feasibility studies.
Since Building Blocks was launched in 2020, the Labor Government has invested more than $235 million in planning, building and upgrading early childhood services across the state.
The nation-leading $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reforms are transforming early childhood education to help children thrive, save families money and support parents to return to work or study.
For more information, go to schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/building-blocks-grants-capacity-building and https://www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/building-blocks-grants-planning.
As stated by Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn
"We're delivering unprecedented investment in early childhood services across Victoria to expand access to early education and help our kids learn, thrive and grow."
"These grants will create hundreds of new kinder places, giving more Victorian families the opportunity to access early education."
Building Blocks Capacity Grants Recipients
- Seventh-day Adventist Schools Victoria Ltd will receive $9 million to help build Mernda Hills Early Learning Centre. The centre will provide four kindergarten rooms with 237 kindergarten places along with consulting rooms for specialist health services and maternal and child health.
- Mount Alexander Shire Council will receive a one-room modular kindergarten building to create a further 59 kindergarten places at South Castlemaine Kindergarten.
- Deepdene Preschool in Balwyn will receive over $1 million to create a further 14 kindergarten places.
- 1895 Ballarto Road Family & Community Centre in Cranbourne South will receive $6.75 million in funding to help build the community centre. The centre will provide three kindergarten rooms with 178 kindergarten places along with maternal and child health and community spaces.
- Uniting (Victoria & Tasmania) Limited will receive a one-room modular kindergarten building to create a further 59 kindergarten places at Swifts Creek P-12 Flagstaff.
- Goulburn Region Preschool Association will receive a 1-room modular kindergarten building to create a further 59 kindergarten places at Nagambie Primary School.
Building Blocks Planning Grant Recipients
- The City of Whittlesea will receive $150,000 to commence planning to redevelop Derby Meadows Kindergarten.
- Junction Support Services will receive $150,000 to commence planning on an integrated children's centre on land attached to the Wodonga Senior Secondary College Flexible Learning Centre campus.
- Merri-Bek City Council will receive $150,000 to progress the Brunswick Early Years Hub and a feasibility study for a rebuild of HE Kane Uniting Kindergarten, Hadfield.
- Hepburn Shire Council will receive $150,000 for planning activities to scope, develop, design an expansion project to the existing Daylesford Community Child Care centre.
- Glenroy West Kindergarten will receive $147,520 to progress Planning and Design work for a new bespoke 33 space kindergarten building.
- Viewbank Preschool Association will receive $9,785 for planning and development for an additional room for the kinder in Viewbank.
- Flinders Christian Community College Ltd in Tyabb will receive $148,458 to plan the relocation of the service to the Tyabb Campus where there is an existing Prep program.
- Good News Lutheran College in Werribee West will receive $150,000 to plan an Integrated Childhood Service at the College's new campus Mambourin.
- Nillumbik Shire Council will receive $122,850 to investigate a future expansion of the Diamond Creek Memorial Kindergarten.
- MACE Incorporated will receive $105,000 for planning and preconstruction work for an expansion of the service in Mansfield.
