Popular Little preschool plans ahead

THE popular Dr Harry Little Preschool in View Street has received a Building Blocks Planning Grant from the Victorian Government of $128,697 to work towards the future redevelopment of its heritage-listed building.

The funding will cover the cost of the architect’s designs, soil and engineering reports and environmental site investigations.

Preschool committee of management member Laura Wettenhall said the group is always searching for how it can improve the site to accommodate and be inclusive of all students.

“We’ve been looking at grants and funding to see how we can accommodate the increasing demand,” she said.

“We’d like to have an additional classroom so we can accommodate our three-year-old groups.

“Because of the heritage listing I don’t know the cost at the moment. That’s what the plan (funding) will identify.”

Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards congratulated the school for securing the money.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with the preschool’s committee to understand their needs and ensure that we can accurately deliver a potential future expansion,” she said.

“They’ve done an amazing job over the years to bring this kindergarten up to a great standard.”

The State Government has allocated billions of dollars to build and expand hundreds of kindergartens across the state in order to deliver 15 hours of three-year-old kindergarten each week by 2029 and up to 30 hours of pre-prep each week by 2036.

For further information on the planning category of the Building Blocks Grants, visit the Victorian School Building Authority website.