Tuesday, 30 August 2022

Southern Metropolitan Region

Ms CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:24): (1948) My question is to the Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep, and it relates to the Serrell Street Kindergarten in Malvern, which is run by the Uniting Church. This is a fabulous community kindergarten, offering 51 places for three- and four-year-olds. But its future for 2023 and beyond is in doubt. Over the past two years there has been a massive disruption due to COVID, as we all know, with not a lot of promotion to the community about what this kindergarten has to offer. As a result enrolments for next year have dropped. The parent committee has written to the minister requesting that its provider application be approved and fast-tracked so that the kindergarten can accept all enrolments for the new kinder year in 2023—in just a few months time. I ask the minister to immediately follow up and action this request to enable these places in this community kindergarten to not be lost and to alleviate the uncertainty for so many parents who are wanting their children to attend the kinder next year.