Foster gets childcare
At last: Megan Vuillermin celebrates the announcement of funding for the Foster childcare centre with children Olivia and Tom.
By Matt Dunn
AFTER years of campaigning by locals, Foster is finally set to receive a childcare centre – worth more than $2.5 million.
Long time campaigner Megan Vuillermin was over the moon at the announcement, with a commitment that a centre – which will cater for up to 58 children and offer long day care, kindergarten, family day care, occasional care, maternal and child health, play groups, parenting programs and allied health services – will be built before the end of the year.
Building is expected to begin some time before May on a site between the Foster Scout Hall and Foster Tennis Club.
“How exciting is that! It’s a done deal! Finally!” Ms Vuillermin exclaimed when The Star called.
She said many locals had been campaigning for a facility like the one proposed for close to 20 years.
Ms Vuillermin’s involvement in the campaign started when news got around that the Foster Occasional Childcare Centre was closing. The eventual closure happened at the end of 2008.
Although the money for the centre was said to be ‘there’ for some months, nothing official was announced until last week.
Work is expected to
happen quickly.
“It’s got to be finished at the end of December. The doors have to be open then. That’s a condition to getting the money,” she said.
“We can’t help rain and we’ve got a few good things up our sleeve, because we’ve known about all these promises for a while. We’ve known for about about four or five months that we’re getting it all.
“But nobody could announce anything until the money was in the bank.”
The announcement was made last week by Minister for Early Childhood Education and Child Care, Kate Ellis, and the Victorian Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development, Maxine Morand.
The centre will be jointly funded by the Federal Government ($1.85 million), the Victorian Government ($500, 000) and the South Gippsland Shire Council ($200, 000).
South Gippsland Shire Council’s projects co-ordinator Shelley Fixter, who has been working on the deal, was another who said she’d be
celebrating.
“Not only have we all been working together, we’ve also had Scouts Victoria working with us as well to make this happen. Everyone’s really excited and everyone’s been working really hard to produce the best outcome for the area,” she said.
“In this case it’s going very, very well.”
She said the Foster Scouts had been happy to relinquish land at the back of their hall, which had helped with the plans for the centre.
Ms Ellis said early childhood education was “so important to the social, emotional and educational growth of children.
“Studies show quality early childhood experiences can overcome disadvantage and set children on the path to a happy and healthy life,” she said.
Ms Morand believes the new centre at Foster will give families access to integrated family and children’s services under one roof, making it easier for working families to access services.
“We want to give Victorian children, through new centres such as this great facility at Foster, every opportunity to learn so that they can have the best possible future,” she said.
The Foster centre will cater for communities including Foster, Yanakie, Fish Creek, Sandy Point, Waratah Bay, Port Franklin, Toora, Welshpool, Port Welshpool and Walkerville.
The Rudd Government is investing $114.5 million in 38 new Early Learning and Care Centres across Australia as part of the Government’s Education Revolution.
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