Recipients of $24m Building Blocks Capacity and Planning Grants announced

The recipients of $24.1 million in funding from the Victorian Government’s latest round of Building Blocks Capacity Grants have been announced by Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn.

 

Funding has been allocated to build and/or expand kindergarten services across the state. Six services will receive over $22.8 million to create 608 new kinder places, while $9 million will be used to help create 237 kindergarten places at Mernda Hills Early Learning Centre, and 59 kindergarten places each at South Castlemaine Kindergarten, Swifts Creek P-12 Flagstaff and Nagambie Primary School. 

 

An additional 1.3 million has been allocated for planning new kindergarten building projects in ten local councils and kindergarten service providers. 

 

Building Blocks Planning grants help councils and kindergarten providers plan the projects needed to meet future demand for three- and four-year-old kindergarten in their local area. 

 

Funding can support project management and pre-construction work, such as architecture and design planning, soil testing and geo-technical services. Other activities can include construction costing works, environmental sustainability assessments and feasibility studies. 

 

For more information please see here. A full list of recipients appears at the end of this piece. 

 

Building Blocks Capacity Grants Recipients 

 

• Seventh-day Adventist Schools Victoria Ltd will receive $9 million to help build Mernda Hills Early Learning Centre. The centre will provide four kindergarten rooms with 237 kindergarten places along with consulting rooms for specialist health services and maternal and child health. 

 

• Mount Alexander Shire Council will receive a one-room modular kindergarten building to create a further 59 kindergarten places at South Castlemaine Kindergarten.

 

• Deepdene Preschool in Balwyn will receive over $1 million to create a further 14 kindergarten places.

 

• 1895 Ballarto Road Family & Community Centre in Cranbourne South will receive $6.75 million in funding to help build the community centre. The centre will provide three kindergarten rooms with 178 kindergarten places along with maternal and child health and community spaces. 

 

• Uniting (Victoria & Tasmania) Limited will receive a one-room modular kindergarten building to create a further 59 kindergarten places at Swifts Creek P-12 Flagstaff. 

 

• Goulburn Region Preschool Association will receive a 1-room modular kindergarten building to create a further 59 kindergarten places at Nagambie Primary School. 

 

Building Blocks Planning Grant Recipients 

 

• The City of Whittlesea will receive $150,000 to commence planning to redevelop Derby Meadows Kindergarten. 

 

• Junction Support Services will receive $150,000 to commence planning on an integrated children’s centre on land attached to the Wodonga Senior Secondary College Flexible Learning Centre campus. 

 

• Merri-Bek City Council will receive $150,000 to progress the Brunswick Early Years Hub and a feasibility study for a rebuild of HE Kane Uniting Kindergarten, Hadfield. 

 

• Hepburn Shire Council will receive $150,000 for planning activities to scope, develop, design an expansion project to the existing Daylesford Community Child Care centre. 

 

• Glenroy West Kindergarten will receive $147,520 to progress Planning and Design work for a new bespoke 33 space kindergarten building. 

 

• Viewbank Preschool Association will receive $9,785 for planning and development for an additional room for the kinder in Viewbank. 

 

• Flinders Christian Community College Ltd in Tyabb will receive $148,458 to plan the relocation of the service to the Tyabb Campus where there is an existing Prep program. 

 

• Good News Lutheran College in Werribee West will receive $150,000 to plan an Integrated Childhood Service at the College’s new campus Mambourin. 

 

• Nillumbik Shire Council will receive $122,850 to investigate a future expansion of the Diamond Creek Memorial Kindergarten. 

 

• MACE Incorporated will receive $105,000 for planning and preconstruction work for an expansion of the service in Mansfield.