Early childhood education and care
Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (18:29): (1477) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn. Minister, the Allan Labor government is investing $14 billion in our Best Start, Best Life reforms, which are transforming early childhood education, saving families money and supporting parents and carers to return to work and study. The latest milestone in those reforms is the creation of more than 6500 kinder places, with 65 new or expanded services welcoming children this year. I recently had the pleasure of opening new kindergarten facilities at Dimboola and Nhill. The new Dimboola Primary School Kindergarten and the Nhill early childhood centre were both celebrated by their communities. These facilities and others across Victoria are helping to provide world-class kinder close to home for the more than 70,000 children starting three-year-old kindergarten this year, as well as the 80,000 children joining four-year-old kinder. Over 2500 new kinder places are being created and parents are being spared the double drop-off through 20 new kindergartens at government schools. Free kinder continues to save over 150,000 families up to $2627 in fees per child at sessional kindergartens and up to $2101 per child at long day care centres – that is a significant amount in a family budget. In western Victoria pre-prep has arrived in the local government areas of Ararat, Hindmarsh, Northern Grampians and Yarriambiack. Pre-prep extends four-year-old kindergarten programs up to 30 hours of play-based learning each week. My request to the minister is: can you please provide details of how many new kindergarten places have been created in my electorate of Western Victoria Region since 2022?