Families with young children in Mentone will now have access to the quality local kindergarten programs at Acacia Avenue Preschool, following a major investment from the Andrews Labor Government.
Minister for Education James Merlino, Member for Mordialloc and Parliamentary Secretary for Schools Tim Richardson and Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education Sonya Kilkenny today visited Acacia Avenue Preschool to officially open its new $2.3 million home.
Excited kinder kids, parents and teachers celebrated the opening – on the same site where the old preschool building once stood.
Following the upgrades, the kinder now offers an additional 38 kindergarten places for Mentone families, offering a total of 76 kindergarten places.
The new preschool includes two indoor early education spaces, outdoor play area, multipurpose spaces, meeting rooms and allied health consulting rooms.
The not-for-profit Acacia Avenue Preschool is managed by a committee of volunteer parents and has provided local families with a kindergarten service for over 50 years.
Acacia Avenue Preschool’s team of educators have many years’ experience and strong ties to the Mentone community, providing a nurturing environment for children to learn, explore and play.
The Labor Government provided The City of Kingston $650,000 towards the new centre through a Children’s Facilities Capital Program grant.
Victoria’s biggest early education construction boom will continue over the coming years, with the Labor Government to invest more than $1.68 billion over the next decade to build or upgrade approximately 1,000 kinders.
This is part of the Government’s $5 billion commitment to deliver a full 15 hours of three-year-old kinder to every Victorian child over the next decade, with the rollout beginning in 2020.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino
“The new Acacia Avenue Preschool will help get Mentone kids ready for school and set them up for life.”
“Making Victoria the Education State starts with the early years, which is why we’re delivering unprecedented investment in early childhood services.”
Quote attributable to Member for Mordialloc and Parliamentary Secretary for Schools Tim Richardson
“This new two room kindergarten at Acacia Avenue, will greatly support the fantastic early childhood education provided to families across Mentone and Parkdale.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020