City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Samantha McIntosh has joined Sonya Kilkenny MP, Parliamentary Secretary Early Childhood Education and Michaela Settle MP, Member for Buninyong, at the official opening of Mount Pleasant Kindergarten today.
The works have revitalised the kindergarten facility, adding a second kindergarten room/community space that can accommodate an extra 33 children while also delivering improved toilet and kitchen facilities, additional storage and a new foyer.
City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Samantha McIntosh says the upgrade has delivered a major boost to kindergarten families, playgroups and other community groups outside of kindergarten hours.
“Mount Pleasant Kindergarten is one of 47 funded kindergarten programs in Ballarat providing our three and four-year-olds with vital early learning,” she says.
“We know this upgrade has created a more modern and vibrant Mount Pleasant Kindergarten for students and educators while also creating a space that the entire community can enjoy.”
The kindergarten was originally built in the 1960s with kindergarten commencing in 1962. Mount Pleasant Kindergarten is one of seven kindergartens responsible for founding ECKA.
The City of Ballarat owns the building and ECKA will continue to operate the kindergarten.
The State Government has fully-funded this $750,000 project.
The City of Ballarat also provides the Central Kindergarten Registration (CKR) scheme - a centralised system administered by the City of Ballarat to allocate three and four-year-old kindergarten places on behalf of 31 participating kindergarten services.