66-place Kindergarten to open at Harcourt Valley Primary School for start of new year

A new 66-place kindergarten in the Victorian town of Harcourt is on track to open for the first day of Term 1 2021, onsite at Harcourt Valley Primary School.

The new facility will replace the former Harcourt Preschool, and was made possible through a partnership involving several stakeholders including the Victorian Government, Mount Alexander Shire Council and the Harcourt Preschool Parent Advisory Group.

Speaking with local publication The Bendigo Advertiser, MP Maree Edwards said she was thrilled that families in the area will be able to send their children to a local facility, which benefited from a $1.8 million contribution from the Victorian Government. 

Families choosing to enrol at the facility will benefit from a 2020 announcement that kindergarten would be provided free of charge in 2021 for eligible children, a  $169.6 million policy that is expected to save families $2,000.

“Not only will free kinder save families thousands of dollars – it’ll get more kids into kinder, back early childhood services and workers, and help support more parents, especially women, into the workforce,” Victorian Early Childhood Minister Ingrid Stitt said.

To access the original coverage of this story, as produced by The Bendigo Advertiser, please see here.