Nichols Point Integrated Early Years Centre
Nichols Point will soon be home to a modern four-room, 132-place Integrated Early Years Centre. (Read our media release)
The new centre will provide a boost to kindergarten places in the region, while establishing a modern multi-service early years hub in the heart of one of Sunraysia’s rapidly growing residential areas.
The centre will be established on the old Nichols Point Primary School site (corner of Koorlong Avenue and Fifth Street within the existing old primary school building), which will be updated, and include:
- Two consultation rooms
- A community meeting room
- A community activity space
A new building, meanwhile, will also be established at the site, adjacent to the existing school building. This will include:
- Four kindergarten rooms (capacity for 132 kindergarten places)
- A parent lounge
- Breastfeeding room
- Staff amenities
- A consultation room
Community feedback undertaken in late 2023 has helped informed the site plan for the centre, helping to successfully secure government funding to deliver the Early Years Hub.
Budget
This project is fully funded by an $8.95million grant from the Victorian Government’s Building Block Capacity Grant program.
Timeline
We will soon be advertising for tenders to build the new centre ahead of an expected start of construction in mid-2025.
Up until now kindergartens in locations very close to the Nichols Point community have been able to accommodate demand. The Victorian Government’s Best Start Best Life reforms has resulted in a significant increase in demand for kinder places, prompting the need to establish an Integrated Early Years Centre in Nichols Point. The Victorian Government’s Early Years Reforms included:
- Free kinder for all three and four-year-olds
- Four-year-old kindergarten transitioning to 30-hours a week of ‘pre-prep’ over the next decade
Nichols Point is a growing community and, combined with the Victorian Government reforms there has been increased demand on kindergarten places in the Mildura LGA to accommodate this growth.
Children from the Nichols Point community currently attend kinder at other locations including Irymple, which is putting additional pressure on these facilities. Recognising the increased growth in Nichols Point and the Victorian Government’s Early Years Reforms, we identified a need to establish a kindergarten in Nichols Point and started investigating potential options. Previous feedback from the Nichols Point community has indicated support for a kindergarten at the old Nichols Point Primary School site.
The purpose of the new facility will be to deliver a kindergarten program. We are, however, also looking at incorporating a Maternal Child Health consultation space to complement the kindergarten facility. The attached site plans provide more detail of what’s planned, pending the completion of the tender process.