Gippsland children will benefit from three year old Kinder roll out says Sonya Kilkenny

Children living in the rural Victorian Gippsland region will benefit from the new and upgraded kindergarten facilities in the region, built to accommodate the upcoming roll out of funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten, Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education, Sonya Kilkenny, has said. 

Ms Kilkenny visited East Gippsland yesterday to announce more than $1.1 million worth of upgrades to two local kindergarten services, with support from the Children’s Facilities Capital Program (CFCP) Major Grants Program.

Ms Kilkenny also visited Mirboo North Early Learning Centre to speak with families, children and educators about the roll-out of funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten to the South Gippsland area in 2020.

Gippsland Lakes Community Health Children’s Centre in Lakes Entrance will install a $448,000 relocatable building, enabling it to offer Three-Year-Old Kindergarten for the first time and creating 22 new kindergarten places for East Gippsland children. The Victorian Government is providing a $378,000 grant for the project.

In Bairnsdale, Westdale Kindergarten will build a second room, bathroom and kitchen upgrades, staff room and shared playground, thanks to a $732,000 project expected to increase capacity by more than 20 additional places. The Victorian Government is contributing $500,000 through a CFCP grant.

The funding forms part of the Victorian Government’s $5 billion investment over the next ten years to deliver two years of funded kindergarten for all Victorian children. Alongside the funding commitment the Government have pledged infrastructure upgrades through a $1.68 billion co-investment with the early childhood sector to build and expand kindergarten facilities across the state in preparation for the roll-out.

South Gippsland is one of six regional local government areas – which also include Buloke, Hindmarsh, Northern Grampians, Strathbogie and Yarriambiack – where Three-Year-Old Kindergarten will start in 2020.

East Gippsland families will enjoy the benefits of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten in 2021, when it is part of 15 further regional LGAs included in the progressive roll-out across Victoria.

Ms Kilkenny said she looked forward to seeing the impact the investment has in these local communities. 

More information about the Government’s commitments may be found here.