By BRIDGET COOK
THE new Rivercrest Christian College Early Learning Centre was officially opened this week, which will give kick-off hundreds of local students education journey.
Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development Wendy Lovell visited the Clyde North centre to celebrate its official opening on Tuesday.
The new centre will cater for 100 children at any given time with its three and four-year-old kindergarten programs.
The early learning centre is part of the new Rivercrest Christian College, which opened this year, and will eventually cater for about 1200 students from kindergarten to Year 12.
The new school is on the same grounds as Hillcrest Christian College and will form part of an education precinct encompassing the two schools, two co-curricular centres, equestrian and environmental centre and a possible tertiary campus.
Crest Education executive principal Daniel Pampuch, who oversees both Hillcrest and Rivercrest colleges said Ms Lovell stated to Rivercrest parents her belief for the need to invest into children at a young age.
He said the centre was needed to cater to the growing Clyde North community.
“There are 15,000 houses currently being built around the early learning centre,” he said.
“About 10 per cent of these families have children aged 0-4 years old.
“Additionally, the City of Casey is growing by 8000 people per year and 4000 of these new residents are babies born in the local area.
“The college runs a second centre in Clyde North at Hillcrest.
“This centre has been fully subscribed since opening and has waiting lists of about 50 children at any point in time.
“The need for early learning places is very real and the demand is high.
“People are literally choosing a block of land and securing an ELC place at the same time.”
Ms Lovell said the new centre was key to providing current and future generations of local children with the best early childhood education and care services in the years before school.
“The Victorian Government invested $600,000 in the upgrade through the Children’s Capital Grants Program, adding to a $1,939,393 contribution from the Hillcrest Christian College,” she said.
“Improving the quality of facilities and access to services through our grants program is part of the government’s plan to make Victoria a world leader in children’s learning and development.”
