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New life for Gowrie Victoria Carlton North thanks to Victorian Government grant
Freya Lucas
Jul 10, 2024
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Gowrie Victoria has received a grant to demolish the old resource building at its Carlton North service to build two new children’s rooms.
The demolition marks an incredible milestone in Gowrie Victoria’s history. The building on the corner of Curtain/Canning St was opened in December 1939 with the Lady Gowrie Child Care Centre.It originally served as residence for the caretaker, and by 1990 it opened as a resource shop and library to serve the early childhood sector. Later on, the building became office space for Gowrie team members.
The building was demolished earlier this month in the first phase of the expansion project, with fencing installed around the demolition site with little windows so that the children could peer through to watch the diggers and workmen.
Educators are actively engaging the children in learning about the demotion where they can observe and discuss the process safely.
The children,Carlton North’s Early Learning Manager Beth said, have been extremely curious and engaged with the demolition project, asking lots of questions about how and why the building is being demolished, and what the new building will look like.
Elio thinks there will be a thousand trampolines and a climbing frame. Ari says there will be ‘one of those twist things that spins around at the park’, while Alfred thinks there will be more trees,
Jack says more playrooms, and Queenie thinks there will be a room.
“This natural curiosity is a fantastic opportunity for us to foster their understanding of construction and change,” Beth said.
Hands- on activities and experiences have been planned within the program while the project happens, so that children can grasp the concept of transformation and renewal.
“The children’s voices about what they would like to see Gowrie become are very endearing,” Beth said. “The kinder rooms have launched ‘business meetings’ where the children discuss and sketch their ideas.”
The construction of two new rooms has been funded as part of the Victorian Government Building Blocks Grants program which aims to fund new infrastructure to increase supply to ensure there are enough places to meet capacity for the three and four-year-old kindergarten reform over this decade.
“We are grateful to the Victorian Government for a Building Blocks grant and that we can support the Best Start Best Life reforms,” Gowrie Victoria CEO, Susan Anderson, said. To view photos from the demolition, or for the original coverage of this story, please see here.
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