We need to plan ahead to make sure we have enough of the right facilities for our community. Our Community Services and Infrastructure Plan 2018-38 provides that direction. When it was adopted it recommended 5 children’s and community centres be built over the next 15 years.

The Victorian Government has since announced three-year-old kindergarten for all children from 2022. To accommodate this, we will need more early years infrastructure.

We are reviewing our Early Years Facilities to answer the following questions:

1. Are the 5 planned children’s and community centres in the right location to meet community need?
2. What other infrastructure will be needed?
3. Are there any early years facilities not needed in the future.

K2 Planning have written a report which include our recommendations.

Our recommendations

• Change the priority order for the children’s and community centres:
  

  Facility	CSIP priority order	Revised priority order
  West Sunshine Children’s and Community Centre 25 Kermeen St West Sunshine	3	1
  Dempster Park Children’s and Community Centre 72A Phoenix St North Sunshine	5	2
  Deer Park West Children’s and Community Centre 57A Quinn St Deer Park	1	3
  Albanvale Children’s and Community Centre 44 Diamond Ave Albanvale	2	4
  Furlong Road Children’s and Community Centre 43-49 Furlong Rd North Sunshine	4	5

• Consultation and design should be undertaken to expand the following sites:
  • St Albans East Kindergarten
  • East Sunshine Kindergarten
  • Epalock Crescent Kindergarten
  • St Albans West Kindergarten.
• Further strategic work should be undertaken into refurbishment options for:
  • Kellie O’Connell Kindergarten
  • Albion Kindergarten.
• Further strategic work should be undertaken to understand future need for:
  • Deer Park Children’s and Community Centre
  • Keilor Downs Playgroup
  • Aycliffe Drive Kindergarten
  • Barbary Crescent Kindergarten.