Horsham Rural City Council creates plan to alleviate severe ECEC shortages

Horsham Rural City Council will make an additional 90 long day care places available from August this year as part of a plan to ‘ease the Wimmera’s severe childcare shortage.’

Emerge Early Learning Services has secured funding to move to a new two room kindergarten at Rasmussen Road school, leaving three rooms at Kalkee Road Children’s and Community Hub now available, creating an opportunity for the Council to host ‘a much-needed’ long day care service at the Hub.

The council is currently working with an established early childhood education and care (ECEC) provider to plan for an additional 92 extra long day care places to be made available, with an announcement due shortly.

“The Kalkee Road Hub will remain a central part of childcare and kindergarten services in our municipality,” Mayor Robyn Gulline said.

“By reverting Kalkee Road Children’s and Community Hub to the original design and use, which was for long day care and in venue kindergarten, we hope to ease the critical long day care shortage,” she continued.

“We are in a transition period right now as the Hub becomes a long day care venue, but, with the Rasmussen site up and running, there has been no reduction in kindergarten places in Horsham.”

Maternal and child health services and supported playgroup will continue to operate from the Hub alongside the long day care, once it is established.