WYCHEPROOF families have won their fight for a new kindergarten after the state government committed to funding the project.
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The Victorian government announced on Monday it would provide $700,000 towards the new Wycheproof Early Learning Centre in partnership with the Buloke Shire Council.
The new centre will offer three and four-year-old kindergarten programs, long day care, Maternal and Child Health Services, and a supported playgroup.
The centre - which will replace the existing Buloke Shire Council pre-school - will be co-located at Wycheproof P-12 College.
The announcement comes after the Wycheproof community campaigned for more than a year for a new centre.
"It's been a very long 12 months since we started the initial campaign," Wycheproof Preschool Parent Advisory Group treasurer Laura Bish said.
"It will be a better facility for the future kinder kids to attend. The other one was old, outdated, and there were some safety issues.
"It's also going to be a positive to entice educators to our area and for them to stay employed. It will cement that we are here and our kids matter."
Ms Bish said the Buloke Shire, local businesses, and community groups banded together to push for the government funding.
"It just shows this community supports and helps one another," she said. "This is for the future generation of Wycheproof kids. It's important that the kids are looked after in the years to come."
A Buloke Shire Council spokesperson said the council was awaiting the outcome of another application for $500,000 from the Federal Government's Drought Communities Program.
"Council and community have long advocated for this facility and indeed that our communities are entitled to the same services as everyone else," Buloke Shire Mayor Carolyn Stewart said.
"To have either a new Early Years Learning Centre open or funded for building in each of our five major townships helps our families live and work in Buloke.
"It gives us greater opportunity to attract new families to our great way of life."
Victorian Minister for Education James Merlino said the state government understood the importance of a new facility.
"We know that quality early childhood services give children a better start in life and that's why we're making unprecedented investments in the early years," Mr Merlino said.
"The Wycheproof community have been crying out for a modern early learning centre - we are helping turn this vision into a reality."
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