KINDERGARTENS across Bendigo have been awarded State Government grants to help upgrade their facilities and equipment.<\/p>\n
Nine centres received Building Blocks Improvement Grants worth up to $1500 for new IT equipment or TVs used for learning or administration purposes.<\/p>\n
Six centres were awarded money from the program\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The organisations will share in over $120,000 in funding awarded to centres across Central Victoria.<\/p>\n
Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, said the money was about supporting local services for children and families.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re delivering unprecedented investment in early childhood services so Central Victorian families get the most out of our great local kindergartens,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The money comes ahead of the rollout of three-year-old kinder next year, an almost $5 billion, decade-long job.<\/p>\n
Member for Bendigo East, Jacinta Allan, said the upgrades were \u201ccritical\u201d to the early learning program\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2019s Inclusion Grants stream, which comprises of up to […]<\/p>\n