Barnaby Joyce announces new $1.5 million early learning centre for Guyra

Guyra Preschool and Long Day Care Centre, located in regional New South Wales, will benefit from a $1.5 million project to establish a new purpose-built centre, announced yesterday by  Federal Member for New England Barnaby Joyce.

Mr Joyce joined Armidale Regional Council Mayor Simon Murray and other Council representatives at the current site of the Guyra Preschool and Long Day Care Centre, to announce the project.

To be located behind the Council’s Civic Administration Building in Guyra, the new building will enable the centre to double its maximum number of enrolments, as well as providing a before and after school care and a vacation care room, hubs for the University of New England (UNE) and TAFE, and  a community room.

The build, Councillor Murray said, represents a substantial increase in the quality of early childhood learning facilities for Guyra and surrounds, as well as meeting the needs of many more local children and their families.

As well as supporting children and families, the positioning of the building “in the heart of Guyra” will support plans to activate the town’s central business district, building on the momentum the CBD revitalisation provided by Council’s current CBD upgrade, he added. 

The project was “greatly assisted” by an injection of funds from the Federal Government, to the tune of $613,000. Council will provide $900,000.

In making the announcement, Mr Joyce said the Federal Government was “committed to providing parents with access to quality early learning facilities”, recognising the crucial role of the early years in the development of children. 

“Having access to a first-class learning environment such as this will go a long way to providing kids here in Guyra with the best possible start in life,” he added. 

It is anticipated that the new build will support the service to increase enrolments from ‘about 29’ to 58 for daily preschool and long day care operations, and to 30 children for out-of-school-hours care, Councillor Murray said. 

As well as supporting more families to benefit from its services, enhancing the long term financial viability of the service, and creating local jobs, Councillor Murray said the central location will also allow the service to access learning resources such as the Guyra library.

A second stage in the  project will also bring the UNE and TAFE Study Hubs under the same roof, with the hubs offering better distance education facilities for local UNE and TAFE students.