Upgrade blitz for hepburn kinder

More young children Hepburn will have access to better kinder facilities, with the Victorian Government supporting more projects to upgrade and improve learning environments while supporting local jobs.

Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas today announced Hepburn Kindergarten will receive $428,000 and is one of the 32 projects funded statewide as part of the second round of grants from the Andrews Labor Government’s $30 million Building Blocks – Refurbishment and Minor Works program.

The grants will seek to enhance the existing building to address identified issues with an aging facility, disability access and security. The proposed renovation to the kindergarten, will include upgrades to bathroom, kitchen, and office, refurbishment of the timber floors and energy efficient lighting upgrades.

The undercover outdoor play area will receive pull down blinds for weather protection and a newly created carpark and drop -off zone and improvements to the front entrance ramp, providing for better access and security for children, their carers and staff.

In total across the state, grants worth more than $2.71 million will fund 32 projects at centres offering a funded kindergarten program ─ in addition to the record $12 million already provided for 105 projects earlier this year.

Building Blocks is a streamlined overarching funding scheme that supports early childhood providers with new and existing infrastructure and facilities for eligible three and four-year-old kindergarten services. For more information about Building Blocks Grants, visit: schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/Pages/Building-Blocks.

In an Australian-first, the Labor Government is investing almost $5 billion this decade to provide three-year-old children with access to an additional year of funded kindergarten programs.

From 2022, three-year-old children across the state will have access to at least five hours of kindergarten. Services will then scale up their hours to reach the full 15-hour program by 2029.

As part of the Three-Year-Old Kindergarten roll-out, the Victorian Budget 2021/22 has invested $1.68 billion to build and expand kindergarten facilities across the state over this decade.

Quote attributable to Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas
"This grant will help Hepburn Kinder improve their learning environment so that local kids and parents can be confident that they are getting the best start to their early years education."

Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt
"Building the Education State starts with the early years ─ we are improving the learning environments in Victoria’s fantastic kindergartens to make sure they are modern, safe and fit-for-purpose to give our children the best start."

"This funding not only improves the condition of early childhood buildings ─ it also supports jobs and local communities across the state."