Parents and families in Keilor are asking Brimbank council to maintain dedicated three-year-old and four-year-old programs for 2024 at the Keilor Park Kindergarten.
Council received a petition with 62 signatures at its meeting on September 19, calling for the programs to remain separate after it was announced that they would merge in 2024.
Councillor Virignia Tachos said finding a kindergarten place has become an ‘anxiety-causing issue’ for many local parents and families.
“It is fantastic that we do now have free three-year-old kinder, it’s just facilitating it and having enough resources on the ground … the demand is so big out in our community,” she said.
Councillor Maria Kerr advocated for the issue, and said she had provided feedback to council for more transparency and consultation with families in the future when decisions affecting them are made.
“This is a great example of the community getting together to advocate for better outcomes,” she said.
Cr Tachos raised a notice of motion in July, citing community concerns regarding families being unable to find kindergarten places for their children that are close to their homes.
The notice of motion prompted council to announce it will undertake a review of its current kindergarten registration and enrolment policy and will consider including an additional criteria prior to the 2025 kindergarten allocation process which would require families to detail their proximity to their preferred kindergarten.
The petition has been referred to the Brimbank council chief executive Fiona Blair for consideration.
