Two carers will work from the centre at Lake Bolac P-12 College, catering for 16 children.

Victoria Rogers played an instrumental role in getting the centre off the ground along with other parents from the Lake Bolac community.

“It’s taken a solid year and a half to get to this point,” she said.

“It’s what is called an in-venue family daycare centre.

The services will be provided by Wimmera Uniting Care.

“We had real difficulties in getting a service provider,” Mrs Rogers said.  

“Wimmera Uniting Care initially said no, we were too remote.

“There were a lot of negotiations, but eventually they came around.”

Mrs Rogers said the new centre would offer Lake Bolac parents the ability to utilise daycare in their own community, rather than leave town.

“The only nearby places people could access were at Chatsworth, Glenthompson or Ararat,” she said.

“Parents really didn’t have a lot of options.

“They either went out of town, or they simply made do.”

An old building at Lake Bolac P-12 College will serve as the daycare centre.

“It’s a building in the college grounds but the centre is completely separate to the college,” Mrs Rogers said.

“It sits off to the side of the college and has separate access.

“We’ve re-purposed the building through a grant from Ararat Rural City Council.”

The centre will be self-funded.

Mrs Rogers said additional funding for outdoor equipment was currently being sought.

“It will be completely funded by the parents that use the service,” Mrs Rogers said.

“We’re currently seeking some additional grant funding to purchase some outdoor equipment.”

She said the service would operate Monday to Friday, five days per week.

“For the time being demand seems to have been met,” Mrs Rogers said.

The new centre will officially open at 4.30pm on Wednesday.

An afternoon tea will be provided to guests.

The entrance to the new centre is via Frontage Road, Lake Bolac.