PRESSURE on Wyndham’s kindergartens will be eased with a much-needed funding boost from the state government.
Four kinders will share in $1.8million to ensure they can offer children 15 hours a week from next year, as part of new national requirements.
Werribee’s Quantin Binnah Community Centre will benefit by $300,000 which will be used to build an extra kinder room.
Point Cook’s Jamieson Way Kindergarten and Tarneit Kindergarten will receive $38,400 and $34,000 respectively to improve existing toilet facilities, increasing licensed capacity to 33 children. The government also announced $1.43million towards the cost of the Alamanda Early Years Centre.
As reported by the Weekly, Wyndham Council was concerned it would only be able to offer 15 hours of kinder a week at one-third of the municipality’s centres unless the government provided extra funding.
Chief executive Kerry Thompson said more kinder rooms were needed before the council could offer 15 hours a week at most of its centres. She said growth areas like Point Cook and Tarneit would be most affected by the infrastructure shortage.
Mayor Kim McAliney said the funding would go a long way to helping the council provide community infrastructure. She said the council would need to spend $21.7million in the next three years to meet demand for infrastructure, including kinders.
Western Region Metropolitan Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury said the funding would help better prepare children for school.
Children and Early Childhood Development Minister Wendy Lovell said the proper early childhood education was vital.
“We know that 95per cent of a child’s brain development happens by the age of five, and a good-quality early childhood education will give them a great foundation for their primary, secondary and tertiary education, and for their future work life.”
