More than 130 new kindergarten places will have opened up for families in Caroline Springs and Burnside by the start of the 2016 school year.
The state government will spend $1.6 million on a $4.8 million children’s hub in Burnside for Springs and Burnside families, creating 132 kindergarten places in the process.
Melton council will spend $2.88 million on stage one of the Burnside Children’s and Community Centre.
This will provide kindergarten, occasional care, maternal and child health, early childhood intervention, family services, breast-feeding support and playgroups for children aged three and four, all under the one roof.
Mayor Bob Turner says the centre will help cater for the 33 families who move into Melton – and the 42 babies born there – every week.
“This funding will enable the council to expand its capacity to deliver quality early-learning opportunities for our youngest residents, deliver programs that reflect their interests and encourage discovery and play,”
Cr Turner said.
The centre will be built on the corner of Montmarte Boulevard and Lexington Drive.
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
