I support the future of Beechworth Kindergarten within the community. 

Established in 1964, Beechworth Kindergarten is the oldest early years educational service within the community and the only dedicated sessional kinder provider. 

Beechworth Kindergarten is also the largest kinder service in town, with 35 families enrolled in 2024 - clearly demonstrating the long standing value our service holds within the community. Indeed our service has a number of legacy families, some with their third generation of children attending the service. 

Beechworth Kindergarten is highly regarded for the warmth and inclusivity of its culture, welcoming and supporting a number of vulnerable/at risk children and children with special needs. We are also recognised for our strong educational outcomes and unparalleled school readiness preparation. 

Furthermore, our service is a key employer of educational professionals within the broader shire, whilst our governance team is rooted in community, being led 100%  by a team of dedicated parent volunteers. 

In order to secure Beechworth Kindergarten’s future within the community, we are appealing to Indigo Shire to either:

1.  overturn their decision to approve an EOI proposal (from which Beechworth Kindergarten is effectively excluded, given we do not operate a childcare program) for a single occupancy lease at the current premises or;
2. to extend our existing lease for a sufficient period - in line with advice from the Department of Education - to allow us to relocate to a new premises

Beechworth Kindergarten is an essential early years service within our community, one of three early years learning providers that all offer unique learning and care programs, reflecting the differing needs and values of our vibrant community. 

There is no “one size fits all” cookie cutter approach when it comes to early years learning and care, and the Indigo Shire Council has failed in their decision making to engage with families, the broader community, the services directly involved, the Department of Education and leading experts in early years education to fully understand and appreciate the difference between, and need for, varied service offerings within the community. 

Instead, the council has demonstrated a clear bias/lack of impartiality in prioritising one model of early years learning and care over another. 

Beechworth Kindergarten acknowledges the real and valid need to expand childcare capacity (predominantly within the baby and toddler age bracket) to better support the community, however it should not be at the cost of forcing another early years service provider to close. 

This is unconscionable and short sighted conduct by Indigo Shire, especially in light of the legislated roll out of Pre-Prep in 2027 by the Victorian Government which will see the number of funded hours for 4yo programs double from 15hrs/wk to 30hrs/wk. To support this roll-out, kinder capacity - like childcare capacity - needs to be expanded, not reduced, to fully support the community. 

If you support the future of Beechworth Kindergarten in our community beyond 2025, we would be incredibly grateful if you added your name/business name to this petition as a show of support for our wonderful service. 

We thank you for your interest and support. 

Best Regards, 

The 2024 Committee of Management - Beechworth Kindergarten