Cohuna and district residents who have advocated for the establishment of a childcare centre for the town have welcomed a key step in the long journey to see this come to fruition.
The State Government announced last week that as part of its commitment to improve early childhood education opportunities, it will establish a government-owned childhood learning and childcare centre, to be open in 2027 or 2028.
The announcement builds on many years of work completed by families seeking improved childcare options for Cohuna, with Gannawarra Shire Council agreeing in April 2021 to work with the community to investigate the creation of a childcare facility for the town.
“Last week’s announcement by the State Government is a major relief. To know that all our hard work over the last few years has come to fruition is an unbelievable feeling,” Tenielle Edge, who coordinated a community-led campaign for improved childcare availability for Cohuna, said.
“Over the course of the journey, we have hit so many brick walls, at many times it felt as if all the hard work was for nothing, but that is all a distant memory now.
“I understand that the announcement does not fix the predicament that families are in right now, but it was never going to be fixed overnight.
“In years to come, it is my hope that families in Cohuna don’t have a childcare issue, and that accessing childcare is as simple as making a phone call.”
Gannawarra Shire’s role in advocating for improved childcare services also included the development of the Exploring Care and Education in Cohuna Final Report, presented to Council earlier this year.
Supported by funding from the State Government’s 2021/22 Building Blocks Planning Program, the report recommended the development of a dedicated childcare, Pre-Prep and three-year-old kindergarten space for Cohuna.
“Council will work with the State Government and educational providers regarding the location of the new centre at Cohuna and construction timelines, as well as the rollout of the Pre-Prep program, which will replace the current four-year-old kindergarten structure across the Gannawarra from 2025,” Gannawarra Shire chief executive officer Geoff Rollinson said.