My name is Tegan Leverington and I have been a resident in Langwarrin for the past 25 years. I live
with my partner, 3 young boys (one currently attending Wonnai Kindergarten) and 2 dogs. It has
recently been brought to our attention that there is the proposed plan to build a ‘Super’
Kindergarten centre/Library in the Pindara Estate.
Since attending a meeting with Frankston Council representatives recently, I was informed that
Langwarrin has a need for this new building and the services that this building will have on offer.
I’m going to keep this simple, as it’s really not that difficult, but the need for this proposed building is not necessary. As I believe that all the services that will be on offer at this new centre are all
currently available within the Langwarrin Community within the following sites;
• Langwarrin Community Centre,
• Langwarrin Customer Service Centre,
• Langwarrin Maternal & Child Health Centres,
• Langwarrin Kindergartens &
• Langwarrin Playgroups.

I am comparing all offered services to the;
• Carrum Downs Library,
• Delacombe Park Community Kinder,
• Karingal Place Community Kinder.
I chose the comparison centres due to the fact that I was told that the Proposed Centre would be
similar to the above sites.

From my online research, I have been able to determine that the following services are currently
offered within the following Centres. When looking at this, it is obvious to see that the services that are currently being offered in Langwarrin are vast and that,  what the ‘super’ centre has to offer is already existing within the Langwarrin community.

There are currently 4 separate community run kindergartens in Langwarrin, each offering 4 year old and 3 year old kindergarten programs (as well as the numerous privately run childcare centres also offering 3 & 4 year old kinder programs.) I have recently been made aware that 2 of these
Community kindergartens will be closed once this proposed building opens. One of these kinders
being Wonnai Pre-school, where my child currently attends (as did his older brother and I was
hoping to send my youngest there too!)

If I were to compare Wonnai Pre-school with Delacombe Park, who offer 3x 4 year old programs and 2x 3 year old programs, yes they are offering 1x extra 3 year old program as well as 1x extra 4 year old. But in saying that, Long St Kindergarten has also been put on the list for closure with Wonnai. So basically, this new centre would just be a new facility for the kinder programs currently running in perfectly well maintained buildings with wonderful staff. (Staff who have not been guaranteed work within this new "Super" centre.)

Being a parent who currently attends Playgroup with my youngest (‘Honeybees’ playgroup) and
knowing other parents who also attend one of the 4 different playgroups in Langwarrin, I don’t
believe that there is a need for the building of a centre to introduce yet another playgroup when
there are vacant spots within all the 4 already existing Playgroup programs that are being run.

As a qualified personal trainer, mum of active kids and 2 large breed dogs, I know the importance of being outdoors and being able to exert energy, be active and enjoy time with my family. Erecting this building in the Pindara Estate will take away a big part of the ‘green’ that we have left in Langwarrin!
Yes, we have a number of great playgrounds on offer for our children, as well as the beautiful Flora
and Fauna reserves. However, dogs are not allowed in any of the Flora & Fauna reserves. Our
animals need this land to enjoy some time on the grass (compared to the pavement of the foot
paths and roads), and this day and age it is becoming even more important as houses get bigger and yards are smaller providing less room for our animals to release their energy.

Wonnai Pre-School boasts a fantastic large outdoor area, one of the main reasons I chose this kinder for my children over the other 3 Kinder programs offered in Langwarrin. Especially with many families working full-time and living in units, sometimes the only chance for their children to play outside is when they are in care or at school/kindergarten. It worries me that the land in Pindara where you propose to construct this building, really doesn’t have that much room. Especially once you take into account the library that is supposedly going to be attached as well as the car parking facilities that it will have to have available. How much room does this leave for a safe outdoor play area for the children?!
Another one of the great things about Wonnai Pre-schools outdoor area, is that it is not accessible to passers by. Unlike, other local preschools and many of the privately run childcare centres, where I can easily chat to the children through the fence as I walk past. This is a big safety concern of mine, and I believe being so close to one of the local playgrounds in Pindara as well as the local sporting grounds, it will prove difficult to satisfy this concern of mine and many other parents of young children.

Thank you for your time and I hope you take all my points into consideration.

Tegan Leverington
Concerned Langwarrin Resident and many others supporting my case and not wanting our local kinder closed for a big fancy new building.