Western Bulldogs and Kool Beanz to open childcare centre at new Footscray Hospital

0bdx41vt25zs

May 15, 2025

Save

A new childcare centre developed through a partnership between Kool Beanz and the Western Bulldogs is set to open at the new Footscray Hospital, offering local families greater access to early learning in a unique, health-focused setting.

The centre, Kool Beanz’s first in Victoria, will cater for up to 90 children and forms part of the broader hospital precinct delivered by Plenary Health. It reflects a growing trend in co-located services, where early childhood education is embedded within larger community infrastructure.

Western Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains said the initiative represents a natural alignment between the club’s community values and its longstanding support of health and wellbeing.

“We are proud to announce this exciting new partnership with trusted industry leaders, where we will be able to combine two important pillars of our club, the community and healthcare,” he said.

Kool Beanz founder Bruce Coulson said the collaboration enables the delivery of high-quality early education to families in the heart of their community.

Designed to support children’s learning, wellbeing and development, the centre will include outdoor nature and water play areas, a vegetable garden, an aviary, a Zen garden and a Bulldogs-themed play zone. These spaces are intended to foster creativity, sensory exploration and physical activity.

The project is expected to generate around 30 new jobs and contribute to the wider economic growth of the area. Its integration within the hospital precinct will also support workforce participation by offering accessible care options for staff and local families.

The centre is scheduled to open in late 2025.

Don’t miss a thing

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

More than 100 regulatory officers conducted unannounced inspections at over 220 early learning services in a single-day compliance operation, as the NSW Early Learning Commission intensifies oversight across the sector.

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

In February the Western Australian State Administrative Tribunal handled two separate disciplinary proceedings brought by the CEO of the Department of Communities against out-of-school-hours care (OSHC) providers. Both cases highlight critical failures in active supervision, particularly concerning highly vulnerable children diagnosed with autism who managed to wander away from their respective services unnoticed.

Keeping children safe with one simple lesson

Water safety remains at the forefront of national concern, as drowning continues to be the leading cause of accidental death for children aged 0-4.

Prime childcare and medical investment opportunity hits the market in Thornhill Park

A permit-approved early learning and medical asset in Melbourne’s west is set to test investor appetite for secure income, long-term leases and value-add potential in a high-growth corridor.

Workforce planning in ECEC: from compliance requirement to strategic advantage