The Victorian Government is making sure young children have access to the best kinder facilities with hundreds of projects to upgrade and improve learning environments while supporting local jobs across Victoria.
Labor Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney today announced that kindergartens in Colac and Camperdown have been given $360,995 in funding to upgrade amenities and refurbishments from the first round of grants in the $30 million Building Blocks – Refurbishment and Minor Works program.
Projects include:
| Colac East Kindergarten – Minor Works Project – Bathroom | Colac East Kindergarten was partially renovated in 2018. This project will bring the kindergarten bathroom up to the standard of the rest of the facilities. | $137,300.00 |
| Baranbali Camperdown Kindergarten – 3 year old Bathroom Upgrades | The toilet/bathroom in the Kanandah Room will be updated to accommodate the increased number of children using the facilities. The upgrade will also include a revamp of the undercover outdoor area to meet updated needs, and a new office area to provide private consultations with specialist services. | $122,795.79 |
| Wydinia Kindergarten – Bathroom Upgrades | Wydinia Kindergarten & ELC was partially renovated in 2015. This project will bring the kindergarten bathroom up to the standard of the rest of the facilities. | $100,900.00 |
In total, $12 million worth of grants will go towards 105 projects at kinders across the state.
Forty-seven projects will receive grants of up to $500,000 for major works and refurbishments, while 58 centres will receive grants of up to $50,000 for minor works and refurbishments.
Funding in this round will also help boost local economies by supporting more than 180 jobs in construction and associated industries.
Building Blocks Grants is a streamlined overarching funding scheme that supports early childhood providers with new and existing infrastructure and facilities for eligible three and four-year-old kindergarten services.
For more information about Building Blocks Grants, visit: https://schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/Pages/Building-Blocks.
In an Australian-first, the Government is investing almost $5 billion this decade to provide three-year-old children with access to an additional year of funded kindergarten programs.
From 2022, three-year-old children across the state will have access to at least five hours of kindergarten. Services will then scale up their hours to reach the full 15-hour program by 2029.
As part of the Three-Year-Old Kindergarten roll-out, the Victorian Budget 2021/22 has invested $1.68 billion to build and expand kindergarten facilities across the state over this decade.
Quote attributable to Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney
“We know the importance of making sure early learning centres are able to give our local children the best start to their early education.”
“Building the Education State starts with the early years ─ we are raising the condition of existing kindergartens by ensuring they are modern, safe and fit-for-purpose to give our children the best start.”
“This funding not only improves the condition of early childhood buildings, it also supports jobs and local communities across the state.”
