Nichols Point will soon be home to a modern four-room, 132-place Integrated Early Years Centre following an $8.95million cash injection from the Victorian Government.
Mildura Rural City Council's successful funding application to build the new centre will provide a much-needed boost to kindergarten places while establishing a modern multi-service early years hub in the heart of one of Sunraysia's rapidly growing residential areas.
The centre will be established on the old Nichols Point Primary School site and include two consultation rooms, a community meeting room and community activity space, all housed within the existing old primary school building, which will be updated.
A new building will also be established at the site, adjacent to the existing school building, which will comprise four kindergarten rooms and capacity for 132 kindergarten places, along with a parent lounge, breastfeeding room, staff amenities and a consultation room.
Council's General Manager Healthy Communities Mark Jenkins welcomed the funding announcement, highlighting the Nichols Point community's input into the project.
"This is a fantastic result in terms of additional early years services for the broader region, as well as for the first time providing Nichols Point residents with the convenience of these services close by," Mr Jenkins said.
"I'd like to thank the Nichols Point community for their valuable input into plans for the new centre, which has contributed to our successful funding application.
"Residents' input will also ensure the new centre meets the needs of our community's youngest residents once it opens."
Nichols Point Inc. President Evette Turlan was among those to provide feedback into the planning stages of the new centre, including signing a letter of support for the funding application.
She said having a kindergarten and early years services in the centre of Nichols Point would provide a host of benefits.
"The convenience of having a kindergarten in the town which will feed directly into the local primary school will be invaluable for the community," Evette said.
"And while parents tend to like having their children attend kindergarten close to where they work, it's even more convenient if the kinder is close to where they live as they can drop off their kids on the way out, so that's another positive.
"We also live in a society now where people can work from home, so to have a kinder so close by will be yet another added convenience.
"It will also encourage and support younger families to come to the area, particularly with the new residential development that is happening at the moment, so this will be amazing for the town."
Nichols Point Primary School Principal Fiona Turlan said establishing an early years hub so close to the school would make a major difference in easing the transition from kinder to primary school for children and their families.
"It will be amazing to have this centre right next to the school as it will serve as a feeder kindergarten, which offers so many advantages," Fiona said.
"Being so close, kindergarten children will be able to easily visit the school regularly, helping them get to know the students and teachers before they start school, and the same applies to our teachers who will be able to easily pop over to the kinder.
"It will help take that anxiety away if they can have those early interactions with staff and begin to form those relationships early."
Mr Jenkins said this month's announcement, combined with ongoing progress on the new Red Cliffs Early Years Hub, which will open early next year, represented major progress in meeting current and future demand for three and four-year-old kindergarten places in the region.
Council will advertise for tenders to build the new centre, ahead of the expected start of construction early next year.
The $8.95 million funding boost is from the Victorian Government's Building Block Capacity Grant program.
