The Department of Education and Training (DET) is to give young children across the State a better start to their learning years, with future kindergarten projects to meet the demand for more kinder places.
Minister for Early Childhood, Ingrid Stitt said the new Building Blocks Planning Grants Program would provide support for the early education sector with funding for pre-construction costs associated with upcoming kindergarten infrastructure projects.
Ms Stitt said eligible organisations could apply for a one-off grant of up to $150,000 to use towards planning and preparation work costs for projects that would create more places for both three and four-year-old kindergartens.
“We’re delivering an unprecedented investment in kindergartens across Victoria to help our kids and their families access better quality facilities, giving them the best start in their education,” Ms Stitt said
“This new Program will help kinders plan projects more easily ─ removing the financial burden of the planning process that could prevent them from upgrading or expanding their kindergartens,” she said.
Ms Stitt said grants could be used towards covering costs for planning scope development, design preparation, soil investigations or construction costing works for projects that expanded kindergarten capacity or maintained service continuity.
She said the Program was a streamlined overarching funding scheme for early childhood providers that helped support new and existing infrastructure and facilities for three and four-year-old kindergarten services.
Applications for the Program are open until Sunday 10 October and further information can be accessed at this PS News link.
