The Victorian School Building Authority(opens in a new window)’s (VSBA) Building Blocks Capacity Grants(opens in a new window) program provides funding for projects that create additional kindergarten places by building new, or expanding existing, infrastructure.
There are 4 categories, including:
- Integrated Children's Centre: These grants provide funding for new community hubs, bringing together a range of professional services to deliver education, care, health and support to children and their families
- New Early Learning Facility: These grants provide funding for new kindergartens that will offer high-quality early learning for 3 and 4-year-olds
- Modular Kindergarten Buildings: These grants cover the standard scope to deliver high-quality modular buildings. They can be available quickly to meet urgent demand for kindergarten places. They are relocatable, and their quick delivery reduces safety risks, construction time and costs
- Expansion: These grants provide funding for projects to increase the licenced capacity of kindergartens offering programs for 3 and 4-year-old children
Meeting local demand with a modular kinder
The Northern Grampians Shire Council applied for a modular kindergarten grant as part of the Building Blocks program in late 2022.
The shire is one of the first local government areas across the state to rollout Pre-Prep in 2025.
The new kindergarten(opens in a new window), being delivered at St Arnaud Primary School, will have 2 kindergarten rooms, an outdoor play area and carparking allowing the service to offer kinder to up to 66 children at a time. It is on track to open in Term 1, 2025.
The VSBA helped the shire assess several site options before the primary school site was selected.
New kinder keeps families in the local area
Northern Grampians Shire Council chief executive Brent McAlister said the new kinder had some important benefits for the St Arnaud community.
‘Firstly, St Arnaud is a major agribusiness centre. With all these growing businesses, the 2 big challenges for families coming here are housing and early learning centre places. There’s been a real issue in the past – this facility will allow those businesses to grow.
‘The second is retaining people in the town. Last year I spoke with a parent who was going to move to another area, because the town had no available kindergarten places.
‘The third reason it’s so important is that Northern Grampians is in the lower quartile of socio-economic councils, and free kinder for 3- and 4-year-olds is a major cost of living bonus.
‘With waitlists for long daycare and kindergarten places, [this new kinder] will allow people to work in the area and not have to relocate.’
As of May 2024, the VSBA has delivered 36 modular kindergarten buildings across Victoria.
Find out more
Applications for Building Blocks Grants are accepted year-round and are evaluated in batched rounds throughout the year. To learn more and apply, visit: Building Blocks Grants – Capacity Building(opens in a new window).
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