The Andrews Labor Government is helping Warrnambool’s kindergartens to upgrade and improve their centres, giving every Victorian child the best start to life.
In Warrnambool today, Labor Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney announced three Warrnambool kindergartens – City Kindergarten, Lions Hopkins Kindergarten and Warrnambool South Kindergarten – have joined the ranks of over 100 other Early Childhood services to benefit from the Building Blocks Improvement grant program.
- City Kindergarten will receive $384,000 to upgrade access to the existing Kindergarten with the creation of a separate entrance and new foyer for families to access directly the Kindergarten. In addition, the project will create a new Maternal Child Health Nurse facility.
- Lions Hopkins Kindergarten will receive over $29,957 for a modern new kitchen in their facility. The new kitchen will include a servery bench which will enable the children to participate in cooking activities as part of the kindergarten program.
- Warrnambool South Kindergarten will receive $74,250 to provide the children attending the kindergarten with a beautiful modern new kitchen. The open design will enable staff to actively supervise children from within the kitchen and will be built in the same location as the existing kitchen.
These kindergartens are three of 104 services set to share in $17.7 million in funding to renovate and refurbish their centres.
Building Blocks Improvement grants of up to $500,000 are available towards an early learning facility upgrade or improvement project, providing services with funding to help them renovate and refurbish their centres.
The Labor Government is delivering an ambitious overhaul of early childhood education and care, with a massive $9 billion investment over the next decade to save families money and support women to return to the workforce.
Three-Year-Old Kinder is already rolling out across the state, expanding universal access to 15 hours of government-funded kinder every week – and from next year, it will be free.
Four-Year-Old Kinder will also be free, providing much-needed relief for family budgets and giving more women a choice to return to the workforce.
With 90 per cent of a child’s brain developing before the age of five, early education has a profound effect on the way children develop.
In addition to these nation-leading reforms, and to help address the current shortage of available childcare places, the Labor Government will establish 50 government-operated and affordable childcare centres in areas that need them most.
The Labor Government is also ensuring that every new Victorian primary school set to open from 2021 will have a kindergarten on-site or next door, to avoid the dreaded double drop-off, reducing the burden on parents and helping build the Education State.
Visit www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/buildingblocks to apply.
Quote attributable to Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney
“We’re proud to be improving early childhood services here in Warrnambool – helping local families access local kinders equipped with better facilities for their children and setting them up for the rest of their lives.”
“Investing in the early years is vital to encouraging a strong educational future and fostering a lifelong love of learning.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt
“We’re delivering unprecedented investment in early childhood services so our children can get the most out of great local kindergartens.”
“These grants will help local councils and early childhood services across Victoria to improve their kindergartens and help set them up for the future.”