Mitchell Shire Council to take over operations at Seymour Preschool Centre

Councilors from Victoria’s Mitchell Shire Council have voted in favour of a dissolution of trust relating to Seymour Preschool Centre, and as a result the Council will take on responsibility for operating the service, which has been run under a committee of management structure since 1980. 

The service has been operating from a council-owned building on Victoria Street for over 40 years, under a trust deed, and the change of structure was initiated by the preschool’s committee during 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic “added an overwhelming burden” to the already-challenging responsibility of the administration and operation of the preschool.

Council officers met with the committee to discuss matters relating to the transfer of the preschool management and the dissolution of the trust, with councillor Fiona Stevens saying it was important for those families in the local community to understand that the dissolution of trust “had nothing to do with mismanagement at the centre.” 

“Dissolution of trust can be concerning to the community because it can be misinterpreted that something that has belonged to the community or was managed by the community has been taken over by council,” she told local publication The North Central Review. 

“This has come about because running kindergartens is not as easy as it used to be, not that it was ever easy.” 

The kinder has been an integral part of the Seymour community for a number of years, with Counselor Stevens having held positions as secretary and president whilst her children were in attendance. 

“I want to thank the community sincerely – the parents, the staff and everyone who has contributed to the running of this place,” Counselor Stevens said, adding that Council “sees an opportunity to step up and assist for the benefit of the kinder into the future.”