General News
28 February, 2026
Childcare Centre underway
CONSTRUCTION has officially begun on the Avoca Primary School Early Learning and Childcare Centre marking a major milestone for families in the district.
The new centre will provide long day care, Three-Year-Old Kindergarten and Pre-Prep programs, with space for up to 57 children.
Plans include outdoor play areas, a maternal and child health consulting room, a carpark and a community meeting room for playgroups and local gatherings.
Located on the grounds of Avoca Primary School, the centre is designed to make life easier for working families by eliminating the “double drop-off” and supporting a smoother transition into primary school.
Members from Early Learning Victoria joined MP Martha Haylett at the school last week to meet with project managers and principal Tom Elliott as the project officially broke ground.
Ms Haylett said the new centre has been on the wishlist of many local parents.
“We haven’t had any childcare in Avoca, so this is meaning we are fixing the childcare desert that we have in Avoca,” she said.
“Several years ago this really came to a head where lots of parents and families came to me and said we desperately need a childcare in Avoca, we have nothing. So this will fill a huge demand.
The centre will offer extended hours, allowing children to start early in the morning and stay until later in the day.
“It is a game changer for families in Avoca,” Ms Haylett said.
She said the need for the project was first raised with her by the former principal of Avoca Primary School.
“(She) came to me and she said, ‘I’ve just had a baby and I can’t go back to work because there’s no childcare locally,’” Ms Haylett said.
“I raised the issue with the Minister for Children at the time and we had recently announced we were going to build over 50 government-run childcare centres across the state. At that time we didn’t have Avoca as an option and I went in really hard to bat for this community and we got it across the line.”
Ms Haylett also encouraged anyone considering a career in early childhood education to come forward.
“Anyone who is thinking about wanting to be an educator and work in early learning, they should definitely get in touch with the shire or myself, we can give them some details because we are looking for educators,” she said.
“There’s going to be about 12 staff, so anyone locally who had really wanted to work in early childhood education, now is your time.”
Ms Haylett confirmed the new centre would not replace the existing Avoca Kindergarten.
“It won’t affect the current Avoca Kindergarten. This one will be sessional kinder, so it’ll be longer days. They will have a different offering. In other towns we have merged the new early learning centre with the kindergarten, we’re not doing that here in Avoca.”
Early Learning Victoria Operations Manager Donna Goetz said the integrated kinder program would run from 7am to 6pm.
“So for working parents those 3pm finishes are no longer an issue for them,” she said.
Director of Quality and Compliance Nicole Pilsworth said the location within the primary school would help families feel more connected.
“For families that might be a little disengaged with the education system that means they’ve got that warm entry. By the time their children get to school they are really engaged, they know the school and the children know the area,” she said.
Deputy Mayor Cr Rebecca Wardlaw welcomed confirmation that the existing kindergarten would remain open.
“I’m feeling a bit more positive now that I’ve heard that the other one is staying open,” she said.
“My only concern was that it would be the same amount of kids. This gives us more spaces for before and after school day care which we are really desperate for. It’s going to be beneficial because now there should be in the vicinity of 90 kids that can be accommodated between the two.”
The new facilities will be supporting both families and employment within the region.
Cr Wardlaw was excited to see the concept art proposed and to see the project finally break ground.
“Looking at the plans, the facilities are just amazing, it is out of this world for us to have that type of quality new building here in town. It’s another 12 jobs in the community. We are meeting the needs of the community environment.”
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