Grampians Region YMCA children's and community services director Carina O'Neill cuts the ribbon to officially reopen the Carey Street Kindergarten.
With four in Ararat and two in the rural areas of Willaura and Lake Bolac we are spoilt for choice, although with high demand it can still be a race to have your child enrolled in your kinder of choice.
While governments are splashing money around for kindergarten redevelopment to enable all to meet this year's new 15 hours of kindergarten in the year before school - or Universal Access - once your child hits kindergarten, parents know that for that year it will be a year of solid fundraising.
For many kinders, such as those in rural areas like Willaura and Lake Bolac, sometimes it comes down to just a handful of parents having to raise thousands and thousands of dollars just to keep the kinder afloat.
This is very unfair and time poor parents are forced to put on their fundraising hats and come up with something new and different, bigger and better each year just to raise the funds needed.
So over the next year, if you see a kinder fundraiser happening, attend or donate some coins.
Kindergarten is vital for children and we all must help ensure that kindergartens are kept running smoothly so that all children have the opportunity to attend.