One of the most transformative community infrastructure projects ever proposed for Red Cliffs will soon become a reality following a $6 million funding announcement by the Victorian Government this morning.
The funding will allow replacement of the town’s existing kindergarten with a modern, centralised hub of Early Years services, which will double kindergarten capacity.
Mildura Mayor Liam Wood said the new facility would address a critical need to ensure Early Years services kept up with demand in the Red Cliffs area.
“The Victorian Government’s Early Years Reforms, combined with sustained population growth in Red Cliffs, means the town’s kindergarten is now at capacity,” Cr Wood said.
“Without urgent action, some children in the town will have missed out on a place at this site.
“Today’s funding announcement, which will allow us to move forward with the town’s Early Years Integrated Centre, will ensure this doesn’t happen, which is a great result for the Red Cliffs community.”
The multimillion-dollar project, which is fully funded by the Victorian Government, will include:
- four kindergarten rooms
- Maternal and Child Health consultation rooms
- Toy Library facilities
- community multi-use space
- breastfeeding room and larger foyer
Cr Wood said Council’s successful funding application for the Red Cliffs Early Years Integrated Centre illustrated the benefits of strong and persistent advocacy.
“This is the culmination of years of advocacy, working side-by-side with the local community and user groups of the new facility,” he said.
“With the community’s support identifying and demonstrating the critical need for such a facility, we were able put forward a very strong case for Victorian Government funding to make it a reality.”
The Mayor said Council worked alongside the kindergarten’s program manager, YMCA, as well as the broader kindergarten community, including the Toy Library and Maternal and Child Health team, to decide how best to meet the future needs of the community.
“The result of this work, which included extensive consultation, planning and advocacy, is the model put forward for Victorian Government funding, which was successful,” he said.
As part the construction phase, the existing kindergarten will be demolished to make way for the new Centre.
During this time the kindergarten, Toy Library and Maternal and Child Health Service will be temporarily relocated to ensure these services can continue to be delivered.
Cr Wood said while this would mean some disruption, it would allow completion of the project as quickly as possible.
“The sooner this project is completed, the sooner our community can enjoy all the benefits their new Early Years Integrated Centre will deliver,” he said.
“Our teams will continue working closely with the community throughout this period to minimise as much as possible the impacts of this disruption.”
Construction is expected to start in 2024.
The $6 million announced today was part of the Victorian Government’s Building Blocks Capacity Integrated Children’s Centre grant program.
