21 years of learning: Jacaranda Preschool celebrates special milestone

Jacaranda Preschool, in the Victorian community of Lalor Park, is turning 21, inviting the community to join in the celebrations this Saturday, 16 November. 

The celebration will recognise the hard work and achievements of the educators and leaders of the service over the years since its establishment in 2003, when Kingsway Drive Kindergarten and Lalor Park Kindergarten amalgamated.

Educational leader Jo Argyropoulos is a key part of the success of the service in its present day, acknowledging the work of the voluntary committee of management, consisting of parents whose children are enrolled at the service or are on the waiting list for the kindergarten in the running of the service. 

“We love engaging with families and building amazing relationships with them, some of these families feel like our family,” she shared with local news source Star Weekly. 

A number of previous staff will attend the special celebration, along with its longest serving teacher Leanne Naum, who has been with the preschool for almost 31 years, having worked at Lalor Park. Fellow teacher Rose Pennacchia has worked there for almost 25 years.

The preschool was described by Ms Argyropoulos as being a special service, one which educates and cares for almost 200 families. 

Ms Argyropoulos described the preschool as a “special service”.

“The kinder provides early childhood education to almost 200 families … we are the first kinder in the City of Whittlesea to start up an outdoor bush kinder program,” she said.

“We also have four-year-old groups who participate in an Auslan program through Expression Australia and have been running a breakfast program at the kinder for children who don’t have access or time to eat breakfast before they arrive.”

Entry to Saturday’s celebration is covered with a gold coin donation, with locals invited to attend the Kingsway Drive site from 11am-2pm to enjoy an art show, sausage sizzle, market stalls with items the children have made to sell, a face-painter and photo albums displaying photos from the past 21 years.

Read the local coverage of this story here.