Macedon Ranges council has welcomed the state government’s $1.8 million funding announcement towards building of a two-room kindergarten with Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Centre in Lancefield, following its dedicated advocacy project.
Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas made the announcement on October 30 at the future site of the modular kinder and MCH centre, next to Lancefield Primary School, confirming council’s successful push for a grant under the government’s Building Blocks capacity building stream.
Macedon Ranges mayor Jennifer Anderson said the project would make a big difference to children, families and the community in Lancefield.
“Lancefield and Romsey are experiencing growth which is expected to continue into the future. Current services in the area are operating at capacity and it became evident further early years services were needed to ensure families were able to sufficiently access kindergarten services and maternal and child health supports,” Cr Anderson said.
Council said the new centre will be completed and operational for the 2024 school year.
“Community feedback gathered in the development of the Municipal Early Years plan CREATE 2021-2025, also strongly emphasised the need for additional contemporary early years infrastructure in the area to accommodate the growing community,” a council statement said.
“It was identified that the current Lancefield kindergarten would not be able to meet the increased demand due to population growth, the roll-out of funded kindergarten for three-year-olds, and the increase in hours of pre-prep for four-year-olds. In addition, without a dedicated MCH centre in Lancefield, residents currently travel to Romsey for services, which are also experiencing high demand due to growth in the area.
“The new centre in Lancefield will alleviate these pressures while also providing a contemporary, purpose-built kindergarten to accommodate all children that require a place, as well as a dedicated Maternal and Child Health Centre for families. The facility will have capacity to be utilised by the current community-based Lancefield Playgroup, with the potential for access by supported playgroups in the future.”
