Anew early years learning facility will be constructed in Kingston, following funding from the State Government.
The Kingston Early Learning Services Working Group and Kingston District Council last week announced that $3.5m would be allocated in this month’s State Budget to deliver the much-needed facility.
The facility has been a long time in the making with the vision of the working group to deliver a new purpose-built early year’s facility on the grounds of the Kingston Community School finally becoming a reality.
Working group chair Kirsty Starling, who is part of a small working group which includes the Kingston Community School principal, Kingston Early Learning Centr director, working party and council representatives, has been regularly meeting with Department for Education representatives since 2022 to drive the project forward.
“We have been working tirelessly to increase access to early learning and childcare opportunities for the families and children of Kingston SE, and it is amazing to see that our advocacy as a small group of determined volunteers will finally deliver meaningful and significant change,” Ms Starling said.
“When Minister Boyer called to deliver the news, I could not believe it.
“We have been working with so many departments, on all levels of government since 2017.
“This will be life changing for our community and hopefully lead the way to a brighter and bolder early years system for regional South Australia.”
Ms Starling said this announcement topped off a significant time of advocacy for the group as members were recently invited to give evidence at the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care in Adelaide.
Representative Kristen Wilks attended as part of a panel session to discuss the challenge of accessibility to early learning services and care in regional and remote areas.
“The Royal Commission seeks to deliver recommendations to the State Government to deliver greater early years learning opportunities, increased access to OSHC services and support services in the first 1000 days of a child’s life,” Ms Starling said.
“Kingston will now be well placed to implement any future innovative pilot programs and recommendations from the Royal Commission and to implement the three and four-year-old kindergarten program as it is rolled out in the coming years.
“We look forward to working with the State Government to deliver an exceptional facility for the families of Kingston.”
Kingston Mayor Jeff Pope said the $3.5m was the State Government’s financial contribution to the pre-school component of the new early years facility with the Federal Government having committed the amount of $1.8m to help fund the infrastructure cost of the childcare facility in 2022, bringing the total project funding to $5.3m.
“This is a great example of how extraordinary outcomes can be achieved when all levels of government work together,” he said.
Mayor Pope said council had supported the group since its inception, but that support had stepped up a gear with the council agreeing last month to undertake the capital build and project manage the new centre, should the last of the funding requirements come to fruition.
