“The demand for three- and four-year-old kindergarten in Echuca is currently not met by existing centres, and is only set to increase with the rapid growth in the west,” Mayor Chrissy Weller said.
“In addition, childcare services are under pressure.”
“This development will help to meet this demand as well as providing increased choice to families.”
The hub will be located on vacant land between two existing schools, St Mary’s Primary School on Bridlington Ave and Echuca Twin Rivers School on Wilkinson Dve.
Council will provide the land, with SCECEC to build and operate the community hub, which aims to provide a kindergarten, children’s services centre, maternal and child health rooms and support visiting allied health services, creating an education precinct in Echuca’s west.
Executive director Paul Desmond said SCECEC was proud to be partnering with Campaspe Shire on delivering what would be an exceptional community centre for families of Echuca and district.
“We have recently been successful in obtaining a state government grant through the Building Blocks Capacity Building Grant stream that supports creating additional kindergarten centres for three- and four-year-old children by building new, or expanding existing infrastructure,” he said.
“The hub will meet the immediate and long-term shortfall in kindergarten supply.
“We already operate two kindergartens in our region, and Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd, who we are affiliated with, operates 56 primary and secondary schools in northern Victoria.”
“The ability to relocate council’s Echuca-based maternal and child health service to the new facility will provide many benefits to the community, co-locating children’s services to provide a ‘one-stop shop’,” Cr Weller said.
Council will start the statutory process for transferring the land shortly.
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