World-class education helps our youngest Victorians learn, grow and get the best start in life – and the Andrews Labor Government is helping families ditch the double drop off – making sure more kinder places are available on or near school grounds.

Kat Theophanous today announced that Thornbury High School will be one of 12 new or expanded kindergartens set to open in early 2025 – together delivering almost 900 more free kindergarten places.

The new facility will support our historic expansion of early years education and will deliver vital new places to help ensure children across Thornbury get the best start in life as our community continues to grow.

Other new or expanded kinders on existing school sites will be located at:

• Tootgarook Primary School

• Devon Meadows Primary School

• Kerang South Primary School

• Mildura South Primary School

• Echuca Primary School

• Wallan Secondary College

• Broadmeadows Valley Primary School

• Wonthaggi North Primary School.

As part of the $14 billion Best Start, Best Life reform, the Labor Government is making sure every new primary school has a kindergarten on-site or next door - ensuring the transition from kindergarten to school is smoother for children.

Kinders on new school sites will open in 2025 at Alexander Boulevard Primary School (interim name), Riverdale North Primary School (interim name) and Wollert Central Primary School (interim name).

The Victorian Budget 2023/24 invests an additional $1.2 billion by building or expanding around 145 kindergartens – supporting the delivery of 15 hours of free Three-Year-Old Kindergarten each week by 2029 and 30 hours of free Pre-Prep each week by 2032.

Quotes attributable to Kat Theophanous

“Our landmark investments are delivering quality early childhood education for local families, building hundreds of new kinders on or near local schools and making life easier for busy parents and carers.”

“With early design work now underway, this new facility will give more families across our community easier access to quality early years education and make the transition to school easier.”

“This new facility at Thornbury High School will make sure that even more children in our growing community will have access to the life-long benefits of kinder.”