Bendigo kinders share in grants

KINDERGARTENS across Bendigo have been awarded State Government grants to help upgrade their facilities and equipment.

Nine centres received Building Blocks Improvement Grants worth up to $1500 for new IT equipment or TVs used for learning or administration purposes.

Six centres were awarded money from the program’s Inclusion Grants stream, which comprises of up to $10,000 for equipment or up to $200,000 for building and playground upgrades to make kinders more accessible for kids of all abilities.

The organisations will share in over $120,000 in funding awarded to centres across Central Victoria.

Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, said the money was about supporting local services for children and families.

“We’re delivering unprecedented investment in early childhood services so Central Victorian families get the most out of our great local kindergartens,” she said.

“These upgrades will make kinder activities more accessible and inclusive for Central Victorian children and create a safer learning environment for children of all needs and abilities.”

The money comes ahead of the rollout of three-year-old kinder next year, an almost $5 billion, decade-long job.

Member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allan, said the upgrades were “critical” to the early learning program’s success.

“It is vital that our early childhood services are equipped with modern technology to make sure that children in Central Victoria get a great start in life,” she said.

Under the new scheme, at least five hours of kinder will be available to young children from next year and a maximum of 15 hours by 2029.