Grace Lutheran sings NSW Government praises with opening

Children in Moree, a rural town in New South Wales, will have greater access to early learning, with up to 100 additional children now able to attend education and care at Grace Lutheran Preschool, thanks to a $455,000 funding grant from the NSW Government. 

With space for up to 20 extra children per day, the new building features an open-plan preschool room with brand new furniture and toys as well as kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities, local news source The Moree Champion reported. 

Service leader Megan Fleming told The Moree Champion that the additional space would make “a huge difference” for the community, and had been “a long time coming”.

The opening ceremony was attended by local dignitaries, parents, and staff members, as well as children and their families. The building was blessed and officially opened by Assistant Bishop Mark Vainikka, who explained the origins of the early learning service in the town. 

“The original (building) was built because we had a large congregation and it was a necessity for Sunday school rooms. But we thought it was a waste to just use it for Sunday school rooms, and that’s how the preschool came about,” he explained, praising the current staff team for their work with children and families. 

Following the opening ceremony, the preschool children were invited to view the space for the first time, The Moree Champion reported, and the response to the new space was “fantastic”.

At time of press the service was awaiting final approval from the NSW Department of Education before children are able to start using the space, a process estimated to happen in the next three weeks.

To read the original coverage of this story, as written by Sophie Harris for The Moree Champion, please see here.