The Allan Labor Government is helping meet the growing demand for kinder with grants to support planning new and expanded kindergartens - when and where locals need them most.
Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn today announced two service providers will share in more than $250,000 in the latest round of Building Blocks Planning Grants - supporting preparations and pre-construction on six kindergartens.
Uniting (Victoria and Tasmania) is receiving funding to plan for an expansion of its kindergarten in Maffra, eastern Victoria, with a new room to increase the number of local children the kinder can take each day.
The City of Greater Bendigo is funded to undertake a feasibility study of five of its kindergarten services to investigate the future need for kindergarten in the regional city. The services are in Strathdale, Kennington, Eaglehawk, Flora Hill and Kangaroo Flat.
Building Blocks Planning grants help councils and kindergarten providers plan the building projects needed to meet future demand for three and four-year-old kindergarten and Pre-Prep in their local area.
Grants can support work such as architecture and design planning, soil testing and geo-technical services - or activities including construction costing works, environmental sustainability assessments and feasibility studies.
Applications for Building Blocks Planning grants are assessed several times a year, making it quicker and easier for kindergarten providers to apply for funding that supports new and existing kindergarten planning.
The Labor Government is investing billions to build and expand hundreds of kindergartens across the state, supporting the delivery of 15 hours of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten each week by 2029 and up to 30 hours of Pre-Prep each week by 2036.
Through our nation-leading $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reforms, the Labor Government is 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
"Today, we're announcing further investment in our great Victorian kindergartens - service providers know which projects their communities need best so we're giving them the tools to plan the job."
"With Free Kinder at 97 per cent of kindergartens saving families up to $2,600 per child, we're making early education more accessible for families - and our Building Blocks Planning Grants are all about ensuring the sector is well placed to adapt to the growing needs of locals."
