Colac Otway Shire Council welcomes funding for kindergarten at Apollo Bay
December 20, 2019
Colac Otway Shire Mayor Jason Schram has thanked the State Government for funding to deliver a kindergarten in Apollo Bay and advised Council intends to work toward establishing an Early Years Hub.
Parliamentary Secretary for Schools Tim Richardson visited Apollo Bay P-12 College on Tuesday to announce that a two-room kindergarten will be built on site at the school.
Cr Jason Schram said the kindergarten will provide 66 licensed places for local children along with administrative facilities and outdoor play spaces.
“Council and the community have been working hard to advocate for this project and we are very pleased to receive this commitment from the State Government which will provide a great facility to families and children in the Apollo Bay region,” he said.
“With this commitment from the State Government, Council will continue to investigate opportunities to broaden the scope of the facility as an Integrated Early Years Hub that could provide space for Maternal and Child Health services, Long Day Care and consulting rooms for visiting specialists alongside the kindergarten. We’ve had positive discussions with the Victorian School Building Authority about this concept.
“Council will also consider the opportunity to allocate the sale funds of the existing kinder to put toward the project.
“The establishment of an Early Years Hub will integrate with the Apollo Bay school and consolidate early years’ services all in one location thereby providing the opportunity to maximise community participation and access to these services.
“The current playgroup facilities are in demand and we anticipate this need will continue to rise however, there is currently a lack of existing infrastructure and services for pre-school aged children, which this project aims to address.
“Council conducted extensive engagement to understand the needs of the community and what you believed was needed for pre-school aged children in Apollo Bay. We thank all groups and community members involved for their work and contribution to the proposal,” Cr Schram said.
“Council is very proud to be involved in helping support the development, learning and well-being of children and families in our community.”
Council Enquiries
(03) 5232 9400