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Childcare centre operational by 2027

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It is the news we have all been waiting for – that next step in the process that cements that Cohuna really is getting a childcare centre – an expected opening date.

Last week, the State Government announced that Cohuna’s childcare centre would be operational for the start of the 2027 school year.

The news brought smiles to parents, employers and even people who don’t have children yet who can take comfort that they can continue to work when they do start their family.

The announcement was made by Victorian Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn last Tuesday, October 29.

The Cohuna Early Learning and Childcare Centre will be built on the grounds of Cohuna Consolidated School, catering for up to 102 children each day, and will include kindergarten rooms to cater for 3-year-old kinder and the soon to be introduced Pre-Prep program, long day care rooms, a Maternal and Child Health room and space for playgroups, consultations and meetings.

“Council welcomes this amazing announcement, which is another significant milestone in a community-led campaign to improve current and future early childhood development and child care needs,” Council Acting Chief Executive Officer, Amanda Wilson said.

Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster MP and Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education Angie Bell MP visited Cohuna the day the announcement was made and met with Gannawarra Shire Council representatives and local advocates as part of a wider Victorian tour of other towns considered to be within childcare deserts.

Dr Webster says that in the Gannawarra Shire, 86 children are waiting for a place in long day care, with some waiting since January 2023, while 42 Cohuna/Leitchville families are waiting for day care places, some since May 2022.

Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, says he is delighted perseverance has finally paid off, and that the centre will be “a relief and life changing” for young families in the town, as well as for those who have been looking to move there.

“More importantly,” continued Amanda Wilson, “the establishment of the Cohuna Early Learning and Childcare Centre will ease the pressure on our current child care programs, with some families currently having to wait at least 12 months to access long day care due to limited options.”

Council said it will work with the State Government to ensure the building matches the community’s needs.

The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper 7 November 2024

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 7 November 2024.

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