The Andrews Labor Government is helping families in Bendigo to access bigger, better kindergarten services, ensuring that every family can access and benefit from free kinder from 2023.  

Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards has officially opened the newly expanded Golden Square Kindergarten, which can now provide Three-Year-Old Kindergarten services to an additional 66 local children. 

The upgrade will provide a new classroom for three-year olds, including a painting and art clean-up sink area, an educators' planning room and a meeting room, along with other improvements and amenities.

“We’re proud to be boosting early childhood services in Bendigo – because we know how important the early years are in setting our kids up for the rest of their lives," Ms Edwards said.

“We’re delivering unprecedented investment in early childhood services across Victoria to help kids and their families access better quality facilities.”  

The Victorian Labor Government is delivering an ambitious overhaul of early childhood education and care, with a massive $9 billion investment over the next decade to save families money and support women to return to the workforce.

Three-Year-Old Kinder is already rolling out across the state, expanding universal access to 15 hours of government-funded kinder every week – and from next year, it will be free.

Four-Year-Old Kinder will also be free, providing much-needed relief for family budgets and giving more women a choice to return to the workforce.

With 90 per cent of a child’s brain developing before the age of five, early education has a profound effect on the way children develop.

In addition to these nation-leading reforms, and to help address the current shortage of available childcare places, the Labor Government will establish 50 government-operated and affordable childcare centres in areas that need them most.

The Labor Government is also ensuring that every new Victorian primary school set to open from 2021 will have a kindergarten on-site or next door, to avoid the dreaded double drop-off, reducing the burden on parents and helping build the Education State.

Visit www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/buildingblocks to apply.