The Andrews Labor Government is making kindergartens more inclusive for children of all abilities, with upgrades to early childhood education centres and specialist equipment to help improve learning outcomes.
Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt today announced the opening of the second round of grants in the Building Blocks Inclusion fund ─ helping kindergartens provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for every child.
Kindergartens across the state are invited to apply for grants of up to $200,000 for building or playground upgrades that make them more inclusive of children of all needs. Grants of up to $10,000 are also available for specialist equipment like mobility chairs or sensory tools for kindergarten programs.
The Building Blocks Grants program supports early childhood providers with new and existing infrastructure and facilities for eligible three and four-year-old kindergarten services.
The Victorian Budget 2020/21 invested $68.5 million for early childhood education infrastructure, with $12 million allocated to fund two rounds of the Building Blocks Inclusion grants stream.
In an Australian-first, the Labor Government is investing almost $5 billion this decade to provide three-year-old children with access to an additional year of funded kindergarten programs.
From 2022, three-year-old children across the state will have access to at least five hours of kindergarten. Services will then scale up their hours to reach the full 15-hour program by 2029.
As part of this roll-out, the Government is upgrading infrastructure through a $1.68 billion co-investment with the early childhood sector to build and expand kindergarten facilities across the state.
To apply for the next round of the Building Blocks Inclusion grants stream funding, visit .
As stated by Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt
“We’re delivering unprecedented investment in early childhood education services so our children and families can get the most out ofgreat local kindergartens.”
“Every child deserves the best start in life, and in their education journey – that’s why we’re delivering the equipment, technology and designs our kindergartens need.”
