General News
11 December, 2023
Moment of joy for young mothers with care announcement
By CHRIS EARL WEDDERBURN will be the site of the Loddon Shire’s first child care centre. The State Government announcement on Tuesday is the latest step in the community’s three-year battle for a centre in Victoria’s only child care desert...
By CHRIS EARL
WEDDERBURN will be the site of the Loddon Shire’s first child care centre.
The State Government announcement on Tuesday is the latest step in the community’s three-year battle for a centre in Victoria’s only child care desert.
Jubilant parents were emotional as it was confirmed the centre would be co-located at Wedderburn College and open some time in 2026.
“It’s actually going to help ... kids will thrive and have somewhere to go getting experience with friends, mums will be able to have careers and ambitions,” said long-time campaigner Cass Reeves.
“Our children will now get the same chances that city kids already have.”
Maddi Postle, who was among the quartet of young mothers at the forefront of documenting community challenges without access to local child care, said: “This will be more than just a child care centre, it will be good for the future of businesses and future growth in the area. We have to thank all the politicians who helped us get the wheels moving over the last three years,” she said.
The Keep Families Local campaign kicked off in the Jacka Park playground in May 2021 and was quickly supported by then-Ripon MP Louise Staley who tabled petitions in State Parliament and a Loddon Herald campaign highlighting the challenges of businesses, schools and communities across the Loddon Shire without local child care options.
Ms Staley and Martha Haylett, who won the seat in last November’s election, made commitments for child care in the shire during the campaign.
Ms Haylett on Tuesday said the centre would include a kindergarten with talks between the Department of Education and Loddon Shire to work through details of the co-location arrangements. She said talks would also also determine the exact opening date details and workforce planning.
Mother Rachel Elsmore said confirmation of a child care centre for Wedderburn had left “us overwhelmed and with hope of progress”.
“This will be a legacy and maybe my kids won’t want to move to Melbourne,” she said. “And maybe in the future we will have enough young people to fill spots in our sporting teams.
“There are some people who have been told for 10 years that a child care centre wouldn’t happen. Now we are a step closer.”
Another mum Tammy Martin, president of the town’s development committee and local business owner said: “People will be able to return to work and it (child care) will keep our town going.”
The four mothers were part of the group that formed a partnership with Wedderburn College principal Danny Forrest within weeks of him taking up the position in 2021.
With the college’s student support co-ordinator Kerry Walker, they started documenting the impact on a region without child care.
“These ladies got together with videos and impact statements ... a lot of people have been inconvenienced without child care in the area and we have lost four members of staff in that time because young mother’s couldn’t access child care,” Mr Forrest said on Tuesday.
“Keep Families Local will be a big game changer for the next generation and keeping employment in the community.”
Wedderburn College will be one of the 50 government-owned and operated child care centres. Four will be in the first tranche are expected to open in 2025 with 10, including Wedderburn, slated for the second tranche a year later.
Ms Haylett said: “This is a game-changer for Wedderburn – and it’s the result of passionate community-led campaigning from families who currently have no child care options in the area. I’m so proud to be part of a government that is delivering the community’s first dedicated child care centre in 2026.”
“We’re making sure more Victorian parents can get back to work when they want to, removing the stress they face in constantly searching for childcare – and most importantly, making sure kids are getting the critical early education they need for the best start in life,” she told parents at Tuesday’s announcement.
The Government says its child care rollout “builds on the work the Labor Government has already done to reform the early education system, so it works for Victorian families – giving children a fantastic start to their education, saving busy families time and money, and giving parents the opportunity to get back to work or study earlier if they want.
“The Labor Government has already introduced universal three-year-old kinder, made both three- and four-year old kinder free for every Victorian child, and invested more than $2.7 billion in infrastructure to make sure facilities in every corner of Victoria are modern, fit-for-purpose and support our children to grow and learn,” the Government said.
Local kindergartens are currently run through Loddon Shire Council.