Future Geelong: ‘Pre-prep’ planning reveals huge cost of new kindergartens, investment ‘must be shared’

With the number of local children aged four or younger set to jump by more than 50 per cent by 2041, more than $200m could be needed to build new kindergartens in Geelong.

Early childhood teacher Kira Ryan with Freddy Barrett and Sianna Shrestha at Grovedale Kindergarten. Picture: Alan Barber.

Up to $220m could be needed over the next decade to build new kindergartens in Geelong, as local demand continues to soar.

The figure comes as the City of Greater Geelong formulates plans to accommodate an increasing number of children in the region, as well as the state government’s “pre-prep” reform.

It’s expected the number of local children aged four or younger will rise by more than 50 per cent to almost 25,000 by 2041.

The government reforms will double free access to kinder for four-year-olds in Geelong from 2029, with earlier access for vulnerable children.

Council chief executive Ali Wastie said investment would need to be shared across the sector to ensure all Geelong children continued to have access to kinders close to home.

“Kinder is really important in getting kids off to a great start in life, so making sure there are enough local kinders will need to be a strong focus over the next 10 years and more,” she said.

“Early education infrastructure provision requires significant planning from local government and investment from state government, as well as developers, educational institutions and non-profit organisations, so it will be a big combined effort.”

There are 47 sessional kinders in Greater Geelong currently, with 37 of these operated in council-owned buildings by either the city itself or non-profit organisations.

Where possible, the city will advocate for kindergartens to be co-located with primary schools and other early childhood settings.

Originally published as Future Geelong: ‘Pre-prep’ planning reveals huge cost of new kindergartens, investment ‘must be shared’