Families in Yan Yean have been prioritised in the release of the 2024/25 State Budget.
With cost-of-living making it difficult for families to afford schooling supplies and excursions, the State Government is offering locals a one-off School Saving Bonus to help cover the costs.
Available through schools at the beginning of the 2025 school year, the $400 bonus will help parents ensure their kids do not need to go without necessities and allow children to partake in the full experience of schooling activities.
Member for Yan Yean Lauren Kathage praised the transformative nature of the bonus, stating that the initiative would help alleviate cost-of-living pressures.
“This budget will make a real difference to families. Our $400 School Saving Bonus will help cover the costs of kids’ uniforms and activities – giving families one less thing to worry about.”
The State Government also announced that they would be tripling the free Glasses For Kids program, an initiative that provides children with free vision screening and prescription glasses. Having already helped 34,000 kids across the state, this investment will allow another 74,000 to access the service.
Another $6 million will be invested to extend the Get Active Kids program, which will provide eligible families with vouchers of up to $200 to pay for the cost of sporting club registration, uniforms, and equipment.
With this budget, more than $1.8 billion will be invested into Victoria’s education system, with a focus on upgrading local schools, including Whittlesea Secondary College, who will receive an $11.7 million upgrade, to ensure students and teachers have access to high quality spaces.
“The Allan Labor Government wants young people in Yan Yean to have a great local school – and this upgrade at Whittlesea Secondary College will mean just that,” said Ms Kathage.
Families in Wollert will also benefit from funding to deliver additional stages at Wollert Secondary College, meeting the needs of the community as it grows.
With 75 of the government’s 100 promised new schools built and nine underway, the budget will invest a further $948 million to deliver the remaining 16 schools including brand-new primary schools for Wallan and Wollert.
The Free Kinder program will remain in place, with an additional $129 million allocated to continue delivering the program and the statewide rollout of the Three-Year-Old Kinder program. Last year, the Free Kinder program saved around 140,000 families up to $2,500 in fees, ensuring that cost was not a barrier to participation.
An extra $19 million will deliver the Building Blocks grants, enabling kindergartens to renovate and upgrade early learning facilities.
“Each investment is an investment in the people of Yan Yean,” said Ms Kathage.
“This is a budget – and a government – dedicated to helping families.”
