The Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP today announced Apex Pre-School Ltd in Elliminyt would receive $200,000 to expand facilities so they can deliver more kinder hours.
Ms Tierney said Apex Pre-School Ltd is among twenty-three Victorian kindergartens and child care centres to share in $4.6 million of Brumby Labor Government grants to help the services prepare to increase kinder hours from 10 to 15 in the year before school by 2013 as part of national changes.
The grant will be used to build another room to accommodate up to 33 children.
The plan is also to have a private consultancy room in an area of new learning space and to use current office area as an entrance foyer in order to increase supervision.
Ms Tierney said the Brumby Government are really pleased to partner with the service to deliver these new facilities for local families.
“Kinder is a really important time in a child’s development and we want to ensure all Victorian children have access to a kindergarten program,” Ms Tierney said.
“It is great that through this grant we have been able to partner with the Apex Pre-school in Elliminyt to deliver these expanded facilities.
“Providing high quality kinder facilities for families is a priority for our Government and I know this project, once complete will deliver great facilities for local facilities for many years to come.
“I look forward to seeing both these projects progress.”
Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development Maxine Morand said the Brumby Labor Government was supporting kindergartens and childcare centres to deliver more places and to increase the number of hours children attend kinder programs.
“However, we recognise this is a significant change and that is why we are supporting centres through funding such as this so they can prepare for the change,” Ms Morand said.
Ms Morand said the grants were part of the $210 million Victoria received from the Federal Government as part of the National Partnership on Early Childhood Education and Care.
Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth Kate Ellis said the Australian Labor Government is committed to building a world class early childhood education system.
“Ensuring every Australian child has access to 15 hours a week of high quality learning in the year before they start school is vital investment in our nation’s future,” she said.
In addition to announcing the successful grant recipients, Ms Morand announced that a further round of grants of up to $200,000 for renovation and refurbishment works would open next week.
Information on the new round of funding can be found at: www.education.vic.gov.au/ecsmanagement/funding/capitalprogram