By Jessica Micallef
Gisborne’s littlest residents will soon be able to learn and play in a new and improved kindergarten.
Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas announced earlier this month Macedon Ranges council had received a $500,000 grant to upgrade Gisborne’s Swinburne Avenue Kindergarten.
The grant, through the state government’s Children’s Facilities Capital Program, will go towards a $735,000 project to upgrade the kinder.
The money will be used to extend the kinder to provide extra places for local families and improve the learning environment for children.
An additional meeting room for visiting health services will also be built.
The funding announcement follows a $91,600 upgrade to the centre through the state government’s Inclusive Kindergarten Facilities Program, which provided a new automatic entry door, acoustic treatments and disability-friendly children’s toilets.
Ms Thomas said funding for local kindergartens was crucial in getting children ready for school.
“This is about boosting early learning facilities in Gisborne and this exciting new project will ensure our littlest Gisborne residents have the opportunity to get the best start in life,” she said.
Education Minister James Merlino said $5 billion will be invested in the next 10 years to deliver two years of funded kindergarten for all Victorian children.
“We’re delivering unprecedented investment in early childhood services as part of our historic $5 billion investment in delivering funded three-year-old kindergarten,” he said.
