Knoxfield three-year-old kinder faces bleak future due to cost and low enrolments
KNOXFIELD’S only three-year-old kinder is on the brink of closure due to falling enrolments.
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KNOXFIELD’S only three-year-old kinder is on the brink of closure due to falling enrolments.
The parent-run committee said unless they can get more children signing up for 2019 this could be their final year.
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The kinder on Anne Rd runs two sessions a week for three-year-olds at a cost of $1600 per year. It has 21 expressions of interest for next year but needs at least 26 children to be viable.
Its calls for more enrolments comes one month after Templeton Orchards three-year-old preschool in Wantirna shut after 30 years because of declining numbers.
Knoxfield’s committee president Aidan Schanssema urged interested families to sign up by the end of August.
“We don’t want to be in the same boat as Templeton,” he said. “We’re hoping for a bit of blind luck. We’re five short of the magic number of 26 (enrolments).”
Mr Schanssema, who teaches at Templeton Primary School, said the kinder prepared children well for school.
“My kids have absolutely loved their time there,” he said. “If we closed it would be very sad to see a lovely, beautiful service go down.”
Unlike four-year-old kinders they had no State Government subsidies and were independently run by committees.
“We fall in a real grey area,” Mr Schanssema said.
He said he wanted Knox Council to help promote them.
“If council think a bit more creatively I think it would go a long way,” he said.
Knox Council has been approached for comment.
For enrolment information contact knoxfield3yearold@gmail.com or go to the website knoxfield3yearoldkinder.org
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