The Victorian Government is helping kinders in the Northcote electorate upgrade their facilities and purchase the latest technology ahead of the roll-out of funded universal Three-Year-Old Kindergarten.

Kat  Theophanous today opened applications under the $27.7 million Building Blocks program, with grants available to upgrade or improve early learning facilities and grants for new IT devices. 

The program is part of a $1.18 billion packaged for education infrastructure projects announced last Monday, which will build projects across Victoria, create the jobs and kickstart Victoria’s economy.

Darebin and not-for-profit organisations delivering funded kindergarten programs are encouraged to apply for a grant as part of the program.

Grants of up to $300,000 are available for early learning facility upgrades, providing services with funding to help them renovate and refurbish their centres.

Organisations can apply for up to $50,000 for a minor improvement project for smaller scale works that will improve the quality of kindergarten services for their children and families.

Grants of up to $1,500 are also available for devices such as laptops, tablets and televisions to support the delivery of kinder programs.

Launched in March, Building Blocks streamlines all pre-exisiting kindergarten infrastructure grants into one overarching program and provides increased state funding contributions for early childhood projects.

This new funding will help early childhood providers undertake projects to improve their services, and assist them in increasing the capacity of services to help deliver extra places as we roll out our Three-Year-Old Kinder reforms.

This builds on the $156.6 million over five years made available in the Victorian Budget 19/20 to support the early childhood sector deliver the Victorian Government’s Three-Year-Old Kinder reform.

Visit schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/buildingblocks to apply.

Quote attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino:

“We’re delivering unprecedented investment in early childhood services so our children can get the most out of great local kindergartens as we roll-out universal funded Three-Year-Old Kinder.”

Quote attributable to Kat Theophanous:

“I encourage Darebin and early childhood services in Northcote to take advantage of these grants to help improve our kindergartens and set them up for the future.”