Vic Government partners with Hobsons Bay City Council for more ECEC options

The Victorian Government has announced a new partnership with the Hobsons Bay City Council to deliver better kinder facilities and more places for children.

Victoria’s Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt announced that the Government will co-contribute up to $5.8 million towards three new and expanded kindergartens under the Building Blocks Partnership, as part of its Three-Year-Old Kindergarten reform.

This first stage includes the delivery of an extra 168 funded kindergarten places, operational by 2025. Kindergarten projects will be supported in Newport, Altona and Seabrook.

There is also in-principle support for a further state government contribution of up to $2 million for one more new kindergarten in the City of Hobsons Bay, to be delivered from 2026. The projects will deliver more than 270 funded kindergarten places in total in the City of Hobsons Bay by 2029.

Building Blocks Partnerships build on joint state government and council supply and demand forecasts via Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plans and agree on funding for a forward pipeline of kindergarten projects, providing funding certainty for new and expanded kindergartens years in advance.

The first Building Blocks Partnership was made with Wyndham City Council in September 2021 followed by another partnership with Melton City Council in February 2022, outlining specific projects and funding via a streamlined grants process that builds on the Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plans’ supply and demand forecasts.