The Victorian Government is making kinder education more accessible for children and their families, investing in more kindergartens on school sites and helping parents ditch the dreaded "double drop-off."
Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt today announced six new kindergartens will be built on site at primary schools across Victoria, creating almost 400 extra licensed kindergarten places for local children.
The kindergartens will offer 66 places each when they open in 2023 at Lalor Primary School, Reservoir East Primary School, Rosewood Downs Primary School, Drouin West Primary School and Movelle Primary School, as well as the new Wollert West Primary School (interim name).
For each site, funding will build two kindergarten rooms, administrative facilities and outdoor play spaces - encouraging children to get active and enjoy nature.
As part of the Three-Year-Old Kinder roll-out, the Government is upgrading infrastructure through a $1.68 billion co-investment with the early childhood sector to build and expand kindergarten facilities across the state, supporting local jobs in construction and across the supply chain in the process.
Every new Victorian primary school set to open from 2021 will have a kindergarten on-site or next door, making kindergarten programs easier to access, drop-off time simpler and more convenient for parents - and ensuring the transition from kindergarten to school is smoother for children.
In an Australian-first, the Government is investing $5 billion this decade to deliver two years of funded kindergarten for all Victorian children.
As stated by Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt
"Making Victoria the Education State starts in the early years - that's why we're delivering unprecedented investment in the first years of our kids' education."
"We're already giving Victorian kids an extra year of kinder - and now we're taking action to make sure kinders are more convenient and accessible for busy families."
As stated by Minister for Education James Merlino
"Kindergartens on school sites are about delivering better facilities and education to children in early education by making the transition to school that much easier."
