Eildon Road Childcare & Kindergarten
Last week at our School Council meeting, we discussed the current proposals by the City of Port Phillip Council to close three local kindergartens Eildon Road Childcare and Kindergarten, The Avenue Children's Centre and Kindergarten & Elwood Children's Centre.
Many of you would be aware of this proposal and the swift reaction and campaign that has started to keep these important community facilities open.
School Council passed a motion to lend our support to this campaign and we strongly encourage you to join this fight by signing the petition linked below and otherwise letting Council know your views.
As the only child care centre/kindergaten within our school enrolment zone, School Council were especially concerned at the closure of Eildon Road. Closing this centre would mean that our local school families (present and future) would have to travel quite a distance to access high-quality pre-school provision.
School Council made a submission to the CoPP consultation process to express our strong belief that the centres should remain open and an extract of this can be found below;
"We would like to formally express our support for the critical role that these centres play in the community, and to urge Port Phillip Council to retain and help maintain these centres.
Without these centres, including Eildon Road, there would be a distinct lack of local, conveniently located childcare and community support and connection for many families within the City of Port Phillip.
This plan appears to contrast the Council’s focus on sustainability via walkability or public transport. Eildon Road is not only central to many families residences, but is around the corner from St Kilda Park Primary School.
This proximity is what makes it possible for working parents to drop kids at multiple locations (Eildon Road, SKiPPS) and then make their way to work via public transport. This won’t be possible if parents are forced into childcare centres which are further afield, requiring car transport, which for some families is either not financially or logistically feasible.
There is also a deep concern that without these local community-run centres, the local area will not be as attractive for parents of young children or those hoping to start families, which will change the demographics of the neighborhood, and in turn impact the demand for the local primary schools. The largest cohort of Foundation year at SKiPPS each year has been the children who’ve attended Eildon Road during their early years.
We urge you to listen to the local community members and reconsider plans to sell Eildon Road and the other community childcare centres, The Avenue Children’s Centre and Elwood Children’s Centre. These centres play a critical role in the local community as centrally-located, high quality early education centres, with linkages with the local primary schools, as a source of strong community relationships, and as a draw for young, vibrant families to the area."
There is a live petition circulating and we would be very grateful if SKiPPS families can lend their support to the campaign by signing it.