A new $13.3 million child and family centre in Purnell Road, Corio is entering its final stages of construction.
Funded via a major investment of $11.7 million from the City of Greater Geelong and $1.6 million from the Victorian Government, the new centre will give Corio children and families access to a range of important services at one state-of-the-art facility.
It includes:
- Long day care for 92 children;
- Kindergarten for 66 children;
- Maternal child health consulting suites;
- Multi-purpose room for group activities such as playgroups and parenting programs;
- Five flexible consultation rooms; and
- Specialist family support program area.
The finished building will also feature a toy library, parent lounge, interview and meeting rooms, central reception and office, and off-street car parking.
Windermere Ward councillors Anthony Aitken and Kylie Grzybek have visited the site to check its progress alongside The Hon. John Eren MP, Member for Lara.
With the bulk of the building now complete, attention has turned to landscaping and construction of a link to Northern Bay College next door.
The centre is expected to be ready by the end of October, well in time for a kindergarten and day care opening in January next year.
Councillor Bruce Harwood - Mayor
This is a very important investment by the council in our northern suburbs that will improve the services on offer to families and children in the area.Our aim is to help all children in our region get off to the best possible start in life, and these centres have been a major priority.
The Purnell Road centre is one of several we've funded in recent years, with another in Drysdale also making very good progress.
Councillor Anthony Aitken, Co-Chair, Social and Infrastructure Planning portfolio
This is the single largest investment in social infrastructure for our northern suburbs by the City of Greater Geelong since the amalgamation in 1993.It's an excellent partnership project with the state government and Northern Bay College, creating an integrated early childhood hub that will improve outcomes for people with young families in the northern suburbs.
It's a very personal project for councillor Grzybek and I, showing that the Greater Geelong council does care about our community that lives in the north.
Councillor Kylie Grzybek, Windermere Ward
This facility and the direct link to the Northern Bay College Wexford campus will create a connection for local children from birth all the way to the end of year eight. Everything they need will be right there in the one place.Having had a walk through the building, it's looking incredible. I think the local community's going to be very impressed when the centre opens at the start of next year.
