The Allan Labor Government is giving families in Melbourne's growing west access to hundreds more kindergarten places close to home - helping ease the cost of living and making the dreaded double drop-off a thing of the past.
Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn today announced new kinders will be built on the sites of three future Catholic schools, thanks to a $17.8 million investment from the Labor Government.
The new early learning centres delivered in partnership with Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Early Years Education (MACSEYE) will open in 2027 in Cobblebank, Tarneit and Wyndham Vale - creating 534 new kinder places for local families.
Each centre will be located at a new Catholic school so families have easier access to both kindergarten and school education - all in one convenient location.
The new projects build on the partnership between the Labor Government and MACSEYE which is delivering almost 2,700 kinder places across 15 new early learning centres in some of the state's fastest-growing communities, including Hume, Geelong, Melton, Mitchell, Whittlesea and Wyndham.
The Labor Government has invested more than $99 million in the MACSEYE Building Blocks Partnership - helping deliver the kinder places families need, where they need them most - including a new Building Blocks Planning Grant of $92,400 to support planning of seven potential future kindergarten projects.
More than 145,000 children and their families are saving up to $2,600 per child each year through the Labor Government's Free Kinder program, which is available at 97 per cent of funded kindergartens across the state.
Three-year-olds are accessing an average of 13.8 hours of kinder each week. By 2036, we'll deliver Pre-Prep for four-year-olds - doubling play-based learning for every four-year-old Victorian child to 30 hours a week.
Our nation-leading $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reforms are transforming early childhood education to help children thrive, save families money, and support parents and carers to return to work or study if they choose.
As stated by Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn
"We're backing education in Cobblebank, Tarneit and Wyndham Vale with more than 500 new kinder places for children on top of over 2,100 already on the way through our Building Blocks Partnership with Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Early Years Education."
"All three kindergartens will be co-located on school sites - making the school run simpler and the transition to primary school easier on top of Free Kinder that's saving thousands of Victorians up for $2,600 per child every year."
As stated by Member for Werribee John Lister
"This is what Labor is all about - investing in education, supporting families and delivering real savings like Free Kinder so families don't have to choose between the necessities."
"These new kinders will make a big difference for local families - helping kids get the best start in life."
As stated by MACSEYE Managing Director Heather Finlayson
"Early childhood lays the foundation for lifelong learning, and every child deserves access to nurturing kindergarten and outside school hours care that connects them with their community."
"MACSEYE is proud to partner with the Victorian Government to expand our network of Children's Hubs and support more families across Melbourne."
