By Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
More young learners will have access to a quality early education in Ballan, thanks to a new kinder being built at Ballan Primary School.<\/p>\n
As part of the $14 billion \u2018Best Start, Best Life\u2019 reforms, the State Government has made sure that every new primary school since 2021 has a kinder on-site or next door, ensuring kindergarten programs are easier to access, drop-off and pick-up times are more convenient, and children have a smoother transition to primary school.<\/p>\n
And soon parents and students in Ballan will enjoy that same benefit, with land right next to Ballan Primary School set to have a new kinder open in early 2025.<\/p>\n
Eureka MP Michaela Settle paid a visit to the site on Friday 25 August, speaking with Ballan Primary School Principal Lachlan Carlyle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Minister for Early Childhood & Pre-Prep announced five of these new kinders this morning, it\u2019s a commitment we made in 2021, to start establishing kinders within school precincts. It makes so much sense for those transition periods between kinder and school. As someone who\u2019s been a parent, with the endless drop-offs, having the kinder and school right next to each other will make an enormous difference,\u201d Ms Settle told the Moorabool News.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m delighted to say that Ballan is one of the five schools that Minister Stitt announced this morning. It\u2019ll be a three-room kinder. The final design will be worked through with Council and the school. Obviously, Ballan is a growing town, and this government has made a huge commitment to those early years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know those early years make all the difference to a child\u2019s life, so this is another step, or another building block in fact, in the Best Start, Best Life program.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mr Carlyle said the new kinder would be a fantastic asset for the growing Ballan community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe court at the end of Steiglitz Street will have an entryway to the kinder, the school, and our community facility. It\u2019ll be a great little precinct, you could almost say,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are finding ourselves all of a sudden as a growing community. Our enrolments last year and this year are going steadily north, and next year we\u2019ll be going up a class size. What we\u2019re hearing from the community is the need for infrastructure and facilities\u2026what a boon it is for us to be able to have another kinder facility to cater for this community, right on our doorstep.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Carlyle said having a kinder so close will allow the school to \u201cbuild our practices and processes to so strongly support families along their whole education journey here in Ballan\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long time coming. This is my second year at the school but my understanding is this site has been spoken about for upwards of a decade, as a great place for another centre,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis initiative wasn\u2019t in place back then, but it is now. It just makes sense for us, and for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new kinder will provide up to 99 places for local kids to play, explore, and learn in.<\/p>\n
By 2041, Ballan\u2019s population is expected to soar from its 2021 total of 3,000 people, to around 7,000 people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lachlan Ellis More young learners will have access to a quality early education in Ballan, thanks to a new kinder being built at Ballan Primary School. As part of the $14 billion \u2018Best Start, Best Life\u2019 reforms, the State Government has made sure that every new primary school since 2021 has a kinder on-site […]<\/p>\n