VICTORIAN families in Melbourne’s southeast are set to benefit from more Free Kinder places, thanks to the Victorian government’s new Building Blocks partnership with Cardinia Shire Council.
On February 27 the Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn and Member for Bass Jordan Crugnale visited Lang Lang pre-school to announce the first project to be delivered under the partnership, which will deliver 64 more places for local families.
The $3 million investment will build a brand new two-room kindergarten at Oxford Street, replacing the outdated facility on Whitstable Street. The new kindergarten will include an outdoor space and off-street parking.
The existing single-room kinder is an aged building that is at end of useful life. The service and provider will be relocated to this new facility, along with the Maternal Child Health service that currently leases a space elsewhere.
“Labor’s focus on education is about more than just delivering the great spaces we know families want for their children – we’re also easing cost of living pressure for families,” said Minister Lizze Blandthorn.
Victorian families can save up to $2,600 per child per year thanks to the Victorian government’s investment in Free Kinder, with three-year-olds now able to enjoy at least five hours of free kinder per week, increasing to 15 hours by 2029.
From 2025 to 2036, four-year-old kindergarten will transition to ‘Pre-Prep’ – doubling play-based learning for every four-year-old child in Victoria to 30 hours a week.
Through our nation-leading $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reforms, the Victorian government is transforming early childhood education to help children thrive, save families money, and support parents and carers to return to work or study if they choose.
The Victorian government are also giving a free Kinder Kit to every child starting three-year-old kindergarten. “The free kinder kits are filled with toys, craft materials and gorgeous stories by Australian authors and illustrators. What’s great is that this ensures all these kinder kids across Victoria go home with backpack, ready to spark their imaginations and love for learning.”
The Kinder Kits also ensure that every child, no matter their background, has access to fun, engaging, and educational tools that support their development.
Since 2022, the Victorian government has given 227,000 families Kinder Kits, with engaging activities that set them up for a lifetime of learning.
They can be used anywhere whether it’s at home, the park or brought along to visits with friends and family.
With the cost of living rising, many parents are forced to make tough choices about where their money goes. Families have enough to worry about, and the cost of early learning materials shouldn’t be one of them.
