Families in Melbourne’s growing northern suburbs now have better access to more early childhood services, thanks to the Andrews Labor Government’s delivery of a new kinder on site at Reservoir East Primary School.
Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep Ingrid Stitt joined Member for Preston Nathan Lambert today to officially open the new kindergarten and family services facility, helping more parents get back to work when they want to and saving local families time and money by ending the dreaded double drop-off.
Providing 66 new places for Three and Four-Year-Old Kinder, the new centre offers a rich environment for the littlest learners to play and explore – with capacity to accommodate a further 33 places as demand for early childhood services grows in the community.
Delivered in partnership with the City of Darebin, the new kindergarten used off-site fabrication to ensure rapid construction – minimising disruption to the local school and community.
Reservoir East Family Centre shared in $283 million in the Victorian Budget 2019/20 for Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.
It is one of more than 34 kindergartens on or near school sites delivered since 2021, helping children across the state make a smoother transition to primary school. A further 10 will be delivered in 2024, providing more families easier access to the services they need and want.
The Victorian Budget 2023/24 provides $1.2 billion for new and expanded facilities that support the delivery of 15 hours of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten each week by 2029 and 30 hours of Pre-Prep each week for every four-year-old child by 2032.
A further $546.4 million will support the continued expansion of Three-Year-Old Kinder and the introduction of Pre-Prep, and continue Free Kinder across the state.
We’re delivering 50 government-owned and operated early learning centres, the first four of which will open in 2025, while an additional $10 million in Building Blocks Improvement Grants will support upgrades and maintenance for kindergartens across Victoria.
To find out more about the kindergarten at Reservoir East Primary School, visit darebin.vic.gov.au/kindergarten or contact Darebin City Council.
As stated by Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep Ingrid Stitt
“The Reservoir East Family Centre will be a great community hub that gives families and children the chance to smoothly transition to primary school, while saving local families time and money with a single school drop-off.”
“Our nation-leading early childhood reforms are giving every Victorian child the best start in life, while putting more money into the pockets of hard-working families and encouraging new parents back into the workforce.”
Quote Attributable to Member for Preston Nathan Lambert
“Families living in Reservoir East now have more options for kinder and early learning, with quick and easy access to a great local primary school right next door.”
