Local families joined in the official opening celebration today of the $9.5 million Knox Children and Family Centre in Bayswater.
The centre was officially opened by Knox Mayor, Cr Jake Keogh, Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education Sonya Kilkenny and Dinsdale Ward Councillor Adam Gill.
The project received $1.6 million from the State Government through the Children’s Facilities Capital Program, with Knox Council providing the balance of funding ($7.9 million).
The centre brings together a range of essential services for young children and families, including long day care, 4-year-old preschool, Maternal and Child Health services and community and supported playgroups. There is also an allied health consulting suite, kitchen and dining area for children, a feeding room, pram storage and off-street parking.
The building sets new benchmarks in terms of being an environmentally socially and economically sustainable facility. This includes being a thermally sealed building, as well as measures to boost energy efficiency, cut waste and collect and re-use water, among other initiatives.
This is the second Children and Family Centre opened by Knox Council this year, with the Knox Children and Family Centre Wantirna South opening its doors on 16 February.
The Knox Children and Family Centre Bayswater has been operating since 23 April 2019. To find out more, including how to register and enrol for services at this facility, visit knox.vic.gov.au/childcarenetwork
As stated by Mayor, Cr Jake Keogh:
- Council is committed to ensuring that local families have access to excellent facilities in a friendly and nurturing environment to help children get the best possible start in life.
- Facilities like this one, and the Knox Children and Family Centre in Wantirna South, are transforming the face of early childhood services.
- The Knox Children and Family Centre Bayswater is a purpose-built facility where we strive to provide the services that local families need, and support families from the first few weeks of their child’s arrival to the time they are preparing for school.
- A great deal of thought and planning has gone into every aspect of this facility to ensure it works for children, works for families and works for the staff who are based here.
