The City of Boroondara's proposed plans for the Redevelopment of the Kew Recreation Centre do not include a childcare/creche facility.

The current centre DOES have a childcare/creche, yet the proposed plans do not include one. The council are requesting community feedback on the proposed plan to help to shape the final design.

We have until Sunday 13th October 2019 to provide our feedback as a community to get the new KRC to include a childcare/creche/occasional care facility which is VITAL to our community.

Please read & sign this petition to support our community to ensure that the council develop a modern facility that meets the needs of our GROWING COMMUNITY which means it needs to include a Childcare/Creche facility.

My Story: I am a mother of 2 girls currently aged 3 & 7 years old. I have been bringing my children to the KRC childcare regularly over the last 5-6 years. Both my daughters have loved coming to this childcare & still do & I have loved being able to use this facility. Even though the new centre will not be built & finished until approx 2022, you may think this doesn't effect me directly as much, as my children will be at school, but it does. As a community member of Boroondara & as a friend to many other people in our community, I believe that the childcare facility in the new Kew Recreation Centre is VITAL for our community, for future parents, for growing families & for the centre to be regarded as totally inclusive for all members of our community.
 
I, along with many other families of our community have utilised the Kew Rec Childcare in the past & I know many that are currently using it now.  Some are my friends, but ALL are our community members & the centre should provide facilities for ALL of the community which includes having access to childcare at the new centre. Whether they are single parents, or have moved here from another country, or they just might want to look after themselves, or have appointments, they might need time-out from their children, or they just want to go to the gym/for a swim/to a class or to the physio, they may need to take one child to a swimming lesson & need to leave their other child in childcare......these are just a few of the many VALID reasons why this childcare needs to be included into the new centre. Parents (mums & dads) need to be able to know that they have access to a convenient childcare/occasional care facility that is not full day care (which is very expensive & unnecessary for a lot of parents that are not employed). Taking the childcare facility out of the new Kew Recreation Centre & expecting the families that currently use this facility to move to use the childcare at the Hawthorn Aquatic & Leisure Centre or Boroondara Sports Centre is rediculous as these centres might be a short term fix (whilst the new Kew Recreation centre is being built) but this is not a solution for many as the other centres are not convenient for many families. 
There are other questions that also arise with this short term fix: 
*Even if some families do decide to use the childcare facility at Hawthorn or Boroondara - can these other childcare facilities cope with the additional demands of families that want to bring their children there? Will they have enough capacity? 
*Have the other centres been shown the proposed plans of the new Kew Recreation centre? Do they know there is not a childcare facility proposed in the new KRC? *Has council considered the impact that this will have on the other childcare facilities in Hawthorn & Boroordara? Have the members of the community that use the other  centres had their say as well?

There is also the problem that our community in Boroondara face, which is that there is not enough childcare, occasional care & 3 year old Kindergarten facilities available as it is already in our area. There are waiting lists on most 3 year old Kindergartens for next year (2020) in the suburbs of Kew, Kew East, Hawthorn, Hawthorn East - which means that the families that can not get their children into 3 year old Kindergarten, need to rely upon occasional care or day care. If the new Kew Recreation Centre doesn't have a childcare/occasional care facility, it is only adding to the problem that we are already facing as a community. Shouldn't council be trying to make things better for our growing families instead of making it worse? 
 
I am sure that the new Kew Recreation Centre will be great, but we need to encourage community members to join & encourage families to utilise the centre & facilities, having a childcare facility is the perfect way to encourage young families to become members. The new Kew Recreation Centre should be about including & accommodating ALL members of the community from very young to older members as it does now but only with better facilities - not be taking away an integral part of the centre.

The Childcare educators that all work there are lovely & amazing (as I said before my children love it) & yes I would recommend the childcare to anyone because I know how great it is. It really is a wonderful place for all children & to think that there is no proposed childcare facility in the new Kew Recreation centre for families to use - is absolutely heartbreaking for our community. 
 
If the council members would just put themselves into our shoes, to see how valuable a childcare facility has been for us & will be for our growing community - then they would understand why it must being included in the new centre for future young families in our community.