November 6th, 2022Advocacy pays off for kinder, child health centre

Macedon Ranges Shire Council says it’s delighted its advocacy for a two-room kinder and maternal and child health centre in Lancefield has paid off following a $1.8 million state government funding announcement.
State Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas MP, made the announcement at the site of the new
modular kindergarten and MCH centre located next to Lancefield Primary School on Sunday 30
October, confirming that Council had been successful in receiving a grant under the Victorian
Government’s Building Blocks capacity building stream.
In 2021, Council identified that early years services in Lancefield were likely to be strained in the future
due to higher levels of demand for services. Community feedback gathered in the development of the
Municipal Early Years plan CREATE 2021-2025, also strongly emphasised the need for additional
contemporary early years infrastructure in the area to accommodate the growing community.
It was identified that the current Lancefield kindergarten would not be able to meet the increased
demand due to population growth, the roll-out of funded kindergarten for three-year-olds, and the
increase in hours of pre-prep for four-year-olds. In addition, without a dedicated MCH centre in
Lancefield, residents currently travel to Romsey for services, which are also experiencing high demand
due to growth in the area.