KINDERGARTENS across Mitchell Shire are set to benefit from agreements between council and the State Government supporting the government’s universal three-year-old kinder access program.
In 2019 the State Government announced $5 billion across 10 years to support a minimum of five hours per week of funded three-year-old kindergarten access from this year, scaling to 15 hours by 2029.
With childcare demand across Mitchell Shire set to spike in the next decade, council tabled a Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan, KISP, and a Building Blocks Partnership memorandum of understanding with the Department of Education and Training, DET, at last month’s ordinary meeting.
The KISP and Building Blocks Partnership will work in tandem, with the partnership agreement enabling forward planning for kindergarten infrastructure identified in the KISP.
Cr Rhonda Sanderson said the plans would pave the way for expanded kindergarten services across the municipality.
“Mitchell Shire Council is an early-year manager. We’ve got eight kinders under our care, including Flowerdale Kinder [and] we manage a centralised enrollment system for three and four-year-old kinder as well,” she said.
“Because we’re growing we really need to think hard and be prepared for future kinder and have our infrastructure – that’s the rooms – ready for them.
“We’re working together with DET to understand our current and future kindergarten enrolment needs.
“There has been a lot of negotiation and a lot of looking at research and stats and trying to come up with accurate figures.”
