- Published:
- Friday 26 February 2016
The old Donald kindergarten – first established in 1950 – has been transformed into a new one-stop shop bringing together early childhood education, health and family services under the one roof, benefiting families across the region.
Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos opened the $2.5 million redevelopment today and congratulated the Buloke Shire Council and wider Donald community for their vital support of this project.
The new upgrade includes two child care rooms and a kinder room, allowing the centre to offer 33 places for the four year-old kinder program and 33 places for three year-old kinder.
Two consultation rooms, in which the local Maternal and Child Health service is run, and a meeting room have also been added.
Bringing vital family services together with childcare, kindergarten and community space offers flexibility and convenience to the whole community and local families.
The Victorian Government contributed $1.8 million towards the centre’s upgrade, with further contributions from the Commonwealth Government, the Buloke Shire Council and fundraising by the wider Donald community and Kindergarten.
In 2016 Donald families can also access free kinder as part of the Andrews Labor Government’s drought assistance package announced last year, with Buloke Shire one of the 10 drought-affected local government areas of Victoria to receive free kinder for all families in the year before school.
The Labor Government is also investing $50 million in the early childhood sector through the building and upgrading of kindergartens and children’s centres.
Infrastructure projects such as these ensure local children’s services have the space and flexibility they need to deliver 15 hours of kindergarten alongside a range of other vital early years programs.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos
“The Donald community has really got behind this project - it is an amazing effort to raise $80,000 toward this fantastic facility.”
“The entire community and families right across the region will greatly benefit from this facility, with family and child health and education services as well as community meeting space.”
“We know that participating in kinder makes a big difference to children’s lives, which is why we are ensuring that no child misses out because they live in a drought-affected community.”
“Our Government is making Victoria the Education State – which means strengthening our early childhood services to give every child in Victoria the best start in life.”