THE push for a second Loddon child care centre has started.
Inglewood and District Community Bank has pledged $250,000 towards the cost of a centre in Inglewood.
It has told Loddon Shire Council and members of Parliament the need for child care in the town is “clear, desperate and growing”.
“Supporting the development of child care is consistent with our purpose and values. It is a big project with big benefits,” board vice-chair Max Higgs said.
Loddon Shire will remain a child care desert until next year when the State Government’s new co-located centre at Wedderburn College is scheduled to open.
A strong community campaign by young parents and backed by the school secured the Government’s commitment to build one of 50 new centres. The first four opened this year.
Dr Higgs said: “Access to affordable long day care benefits the education and health of children, parents and in particular addresses ingrained gender inequality by enabling women to participate in the workforce and the broader community by making the town more attractive to live and work.
“A child care feasibility business case developed and endorsed by Loddon Shire in 2020 recommended the establishment of long family day care in Boort and Inglewood, co-located at school/kindergarten with sites owned by the shire and operated by a state provider,” he said in a letter to Loddon Shire councillors and MPs
“Subsequently, the State Government elected to build and operate a facility in Wedderburn, however, the needs in our community remain unmet.”
Dr Higgs said there were three keys to providing Inglewood with long day care - changes to the federal funding model to meet unique needs of rural communities, a facility and trained staff.
He said the bank board wanted to work with Loddon Shire “to advocate for a funding model that caters for the needs of small rural communities to run the facility sustainably” and to lobby for state and federal funding to build a centre in Inglewood.
The board had agreed to provide funding to training local people as child educators on top of the $250,000 towards the facility.