The location of a new state-run childcare centre for Cohuna has been announced by the Victorian Government, promising lower-than-average fees and free kindergarten.
The Early Learning and Childcare Centre will be built on Cohuna Consolidated School grounds, seeing up to 102 places available for children between six months and five years of age.
School principal Ben Hawthorn said the centre was a positive outcome for families in Cohuna, who have struggled without access to childcare.
“To give opportunities for parents to get back to work, who haven’t been in town, is fantastic,” he said.
“It means that we'll have the facilities that every other town has, and probably we should have had a long time ago.”
Long daycare, three-year-old and pre-prep services will be offered at the new centre, alongside community facilities, including maternal and child health consulting rooms.
With the new centre on school grounds, Mr Hawthorn said the school’s vision was to become an “education hub”, catering for both pre-school and primary aged children.
The school’s strong ties to Cohuna Secondary College will also allow students to continue their education in town, he said.
Mr Hawthorn said the centre could also help to attract would-be residents who may have been put off by a lack of childcare in the area.
“It’s a beautiful town, Cohuna, anyone would want to live here. But I would say that, in the past, people have said ‘we can’t move to Cohuna, there just isn’t daycare’.”
State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh said extensive campaigning efforts had paid off for the town, and that childcare was overdue.
“Cohuna is an incredibly vibrant and dynamic community, and if you venture off the main strip, you will be amazed at how many successful and diverse businesses it supports.
“When I visited AWMA Water Solutions the other day, a major employer with a staff of around 80, they told me one of the major hurdles they face as an employer has been childcare,” Mr Walsh said.
The Victorian Department of Education has planned, where possible, to make new state-run childcare centres co-located with established schools following reforms in 2022.
Government organisation Early Learning Victoria, who will run the childcare centre, said co-location can make a child’s transition into primary school smoother.
Prices at the centre will be lower than average for the area, with a small daily fee for low-income families facilitated by government support and subsidies.
Free kindergarten will also be included in all government-owned centres.
The centre in Cohuna was one of six announced by Children’s Minister Lizzie Blandthorn on Tuesday, October 29.
All facilities are set to open in 2027, with planning for Cohuna’s childcare centre under way and a design expected soon, according to the Victorian School Building Authority.
For more information on the Early Learning Victoria program, visit vic.gov.au/early-learning-victoria