Corangamite Shire Council will seek Victorian School Building Authority funding to respond to the Victorian Government's Best Start Best Life kindergarten reform.
At its meeting on Tuesday, Council supported a staged plan to grow early years services in Skipton to meet local demand and prepare for upcoming State Government kindergarten changes which will see Council deliver 30 hours of pre prep by 2031.
"Last night council authorised a funding application for Skipton Kindergarten to ensure childcare services are not displaced in addition to preparing the building to accommodate additional hours of kindergarten " Mayor Kate Makin said.
"While there is no certainty of the outcome of the application, it's an exciting opportunity for Skipton to see a much-needed service expanded."
Cr Makin said early years services are essential to the wellbeing of families and the future of small towns.
"Council has endorsed a staged expansion of the early years facility to support the State's Pre-Prep reforms and, importantly, to ensure childcare is not displaced for local families.
"This is about making sure young families can live and work in our communities, knowing they've got access to the services they need."
Mt Elephant Ward Cr Nick Cole, who represents Skipton said: "I'm fully in favour of this, as is Skipton.
"A connected building would create more capacity for kindergarten and ensure child care places can increase."
More planning and community consultation will take place before any changes are made.
Council will keep families, staff and the wider community informed as the project moves forward.
Parents and carers said during Council's Early Years Plan consultation that there was demand for longer childcare hours and more places, especially for babies and toddlers.
In addition, the State Government's Best Start, Best Life reforms will require councils to deliver 25 hours of funded four‑year‑old kindergarten by 2029, increasing to 30 hours by 2031.
Without additional infrastructure, these changes risk reducing childcare availability for working families.
