State grants to plan new Geelong kinders

GEELONG will share in one of the latest Building Blocks Planning Grants from the Victorian government in the first steps towards new kinders in the region.

Announced earlier this month, the $690,000 will be spread over five grants to be shared between three providers.

The grants will enable planning and pre-construction work across 19 building projects across metropolitan and regional Victoria, creating new kinder places to fill demand.

Locally, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Early Years Education will conduct feasibility assessments and planning for 16 kindergartens across Geelong, Melbourne and regional Victoria.

MACS is the largest non-government school system in Australia, with nearly 300 schools and 115,000 students.

Its schools in the Geelong region are Lisieux Catholic Primary School in Torquay North, St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School in Armstrong Creek, and Iona College in Charlemont.

Grants can support project management and pre-construction work, such as architecture and design planning, soil testing and geotechnical services.

Funding can also be used for activities including construction costing works, environmental sustainability assessments and feasibility studies.

Box Hill South Preschool Centre Inc and The Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited were the other two providers to receive grants in this round.

Under the Building Blocks Planning Grants, eligible organisations may apply for one grant of up to $150,000.

In 2020, these grants replaced previous grants schemes – the Children’s Facilities Capital Program and the Inclusive Kindergartens Facilities Program.

“These grants are just one of the ways we’re helping councils and kindergarten providers plan and deliver the projects needed to help meet future demand for kinder in their local area – on top of statewide infrastructure funding and free kinder,” Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said.

“Building Blocks Planning Grants help kindergarten service providers cover the design and pre-construction planning costs associated with building projects.”

The Victorian government says it is spending billions to build and expand hundreds of kindergartens across the state, supporting the delivery of 15 hours of three-year-old kindergarten each week by 2029 and up to 30 hours of pre-prep each week by 2036.