By JESSE GRAHAM
NEW ground was broken last week to make way for a $1 million expansion to early learning for Healesville kids and a means of closing the gap.
The expansion to the Robyn Jane Children’s Centre, which is set to be complete by the end of January, officially began with a ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday 1 October by Seymour MP Cindy McLeish.
The expansion will bring together a range of services for children into an integrated family centre, named the Warun Child and Family Place, promoting access to early years services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
The expansion will result in a hub of facilities in the Haig Avenue area, including the Robyn Jane Children’s Centre, The Haig Avenue Pre-School and the Early Childhood Intervention Centre.
Funding for the expansion to the centre comes from an investment of $1 million from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, along with a contribution of $56,000 from the Yarra Ranges Council and $19,000 from the Robyn Jane Children’s Centre.
Ms McLeish said the upgraded facilities will increase child care places at the centre from 35 to 68 and provide programs such as kindergarden, Early Childhood Intervention Services, maternal and child health and the Boorai Early Years Program.
She said that families will be encouraged to enrol their children for services in the new facilities and that there would be a focus on making the place welcoming for aboriginal families.
“These upgraded facilities will give families with young children improved access to flexible, engaging and interactive programs that help stimulate learning and development,” she said.
President of Robyn Jane Children’s Centre Susan Ratcliff said the ground-breaking was the result of work from a number of groups.
“This day marks the culmination of so much vision, dedication and passion from so many people to get better outcomes for children,” she said.
Groups involved in the expansion were the Robyn Jane Children’s Centre, Healesville Indigenous Community Services Association (HICSA), Yarra Valley Community Health, Healesville Early Childhood Intervention Program, Eastern Access Community Health, Kinderlink, Ranges Community Health, Yarra Ranges Council’s Maternal and Child Health Service, Healesville Primary School and Anglicare.
Yarra Ranges Mayor Jim Child, Ryrie Ward councillor Fiona McAllister, Yarra Ranges CEO Glenn Patterson and members of the community attended the ground-breaking.
The fundraising was announced in October 2010 by then-Seymour MP Ben Hardman, and the works are set to be complete before the start of term next year.
