Whittlesea continues to boost early learning places through Building Blocks partnership 

The City of Whittlesea will continue to benefit from a Building Blocks Partnership with the Victorian Government, a partnership which will double capacity at three early learning services by 2028.

Announced last Friday by Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn, the three new projects at the centre of the partnership will create up to 194 additional kindergarten places.

Stables Kindergarten will be demolished from June 2025 and rebuilt as a two-room service, increasing capacity from 54 to 118 places. The rebuilt kindergarten, supported by a grant of $4 million, will open in Term 1, 2027, with children attending Mill Park Drive Children’s Centre while works are under way. 

Dalton Road Kindergarten in Thomastown will be rebuilt from mid-2026, creating up to 64 new kindergarten places, with a $4.5 million Labor Government grant. The service will close in late 2025 and reopen in early 2028, providing up to 118 kindergarten places across two brand-new rooms. 

Derby Meadows Preschool in Epping will undergo redevelopment, with the existing single-room service set to be replaced by a two-room kindergarten from mid-2026. The project, supported by a $4.5 million Labor Government grant, will deliver up to 118 kinder places by early 2028, up from 52. 

Existing projects with Whittlesea City Council are making good progress, with Murnong Community Centre due to open in 2026 and West Wollert Community Centre in 2027. These centres will collectively deliver up to 296 kindergarten places while providing essential access to child, family and community services in growing suburbs. 

All told, the Building Blocks partnership will deliver up to 490 new kindergarten places.

Since 2021, the Labor Government has entered into 17 Building Blocks Partnerships, supporting the delivery of 106 new and expanded kindergartens and creating up to 14,712 new kindergarten places.