Further upgrades and new builds announced by Victorian Early Childhood minister

127 kinder services across Victoria  will share in $46.9 million of funding through the Building Blocks programs in the coming months, the Victorian Government announced earlier this week.

Victoria’s Minister for Early Childhood, Ingrid Stitt, and Member for Williamstown, Melissa Horne, visited Newport Gardens Children’s Centre earlier this week to make the announcement. 

As part of the funding package, which aims to boost kindergarten places and improve learning spaces, seven new early learning facilities, five new integrated children’s centres, three modular buildings and 20 building expansions will take place, amongst others.

The projects will create almost 2,200 funded kindergarten places across 32 local government areas, with more than 90 kinders also sharing almost $8 million to improve existing early-learning facilities. 

Projects range from upgrades to the outdoor play spaces, landscaping improvements and ‘much needed’ refurbishment of bathrooms. 

Newport Gardens Early Years Centre will receive a $600,000 Building Blocks grant to expand the early childhood facility to create an extra 33 places for local families. Down the road a new children’s centre with 84 long day care places, 44 kinder places and two allied health rooms providing specialist health services for children will be built – following a $1 million grant. 

The Victorian Budget 2020/21 will invest a further $38.5 million into the Building Blocks grants program overall. 

“Creating more places for children to attend kindergarten and ensuring they can access the best facilities across Victoria is vital to ensuring a world-class education in the early years,” Ms Stitt said. 

Further information about Building Blocks is available here.