Member for Eureka Michaela Settle officially opens new kinder at Ballan 

Member for Eureka Michaela Settle officially opened Ballan’s latest kindergarten last week, visiting the facility during its second week to cut the ribbon and open the three room preschool which is located beside the town’s primary school.

With 14 children currently enrolled in the space which caters for 178 young learners, the facilities were announced in 2023 and delivered in about October 2024 as part of the Victorian Government’s $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reforms.

The new kindergarten, Ms Settle said, is an important moment for the expanding community, with services being delivered by the Eureka Community Kindergarten Association, or ECKA, which also operates the Wallace and District Kindergarten.

“It’s a beautiful town that’s definitely growing,” she “This government recognises the importance of early childhood. Those years are when the children’s minds are absorbing so much and it’s so important to have facilities that encourage them to learn through play,” the Minister shared with local news source The Moorabool News. 

The portable facilities were delivered on the back of almost 30 trucks before being loaded into place via a crane, with the preschool also featuring an outdoor play space and decking, and a dedicated space for educators.

“[The facilities] are designed now in a way we didn’t do with older kinders,” Ms Settle explained.

“The Best Start, Best Life reforms will provide all children the year before school with 30 hours of kindergarten,” ECKA CEO Jo Geurts said.

“It’s important we have the infrastructure in place to do that as well as meeting the growing community needs here.”

Having the preschool in close proximity to Ballan Primary School is an added benefit, she continued.

“This centre is on a primary school site which has a real benefit for the children in their preschool experience into that formal setting,” she said.

“It’ll help children be more familiar with the school but it also allows for collaboration between staff and ensuring that transition is seamless.”

Read the original coverage of this story here.