A sod turning event was held for the new Red Cliffs Early Years Hub earlier this week, with representatives from Mildura Rural City Council and the Department of Education joining members of the local community who have helped drive the $6 million project.
The Hub will see the existing kindergarten and Maternal and Child Health buildings replaced with a modern facility to meet the demand of the growing Red Cliffs community, including four kindergarten rooms which will allow twice as many local children to attend kindergarten.
It will also house Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and allied health consulting rooms, Toy Library facilities, a multi-use community space, breastfeeding room and a large foyer area.
“This project was identified through some collaborative work with community, Council and Hands Up Mallee, with the Early Years Census data indicating that Red Cliffs children were behind the rest of the Mildura LGA in almost all key developmental areas when they started school,” Red Cliffs Families Project Group Member Rebecca Fagan said.
“We worked with families to find out what it was like to raise children in Red Cliffs, and why this trend was occurring. It became apparent that we didn’t have the right services and facilities in place for early years, so the idea behind the Early Years Hub was born.”
Ms Fagan said it was exciting to see the project become a reality, describing it as “the most important infrastructure project currently underway in the township.”
“Once complete it’s going to be a tremendous asset for our community and give our young people the best possible start in life.The most important thing this Hub will achieve is helping us get the Early Years foundation in Red Cliffs right.”
The project is supported by the Victorian Government thanks to a $6million grant from the Victorian School Building Authority's Building Blocks program and is being constructed by Mildura-based company CPM Building Contractors.
Mayor Liam Wood thanked the Victorian Government and the wider community for their support of the project.
“The Hub has been a long time coming and will fill a very important need in the community,” Cr Wood said.
“Providing better access to early years services is a key component of the recently endorsed Red Cliffs Community Plan, and it’s really exciting that we are in a position to deliver an asset that is going to benefit the Red Cliffs community for generations to come.”
Construction is expected to be completed late this year in time for the start of the 2025 school year.
