The Jerilderie Early Learning Centre is on track to open early next year, promising employment opportunities and advanced childcare facilities for students aged six weeks and up.
New grant funding committed to the project this month — $133,000 from the Commonwealth Government’s Building Better Regions Fund — will contribute to the cost of an ambitious playground development.
The rest will be covered by previously awarded grant money.
Jerilderie Preschool director Stephanie Girdwood said the committee has engaged a landscape designer to plan the space, which will incorporate a large hill with a viewing platform — offering views of the neighbouring Jerilderie Lake — as well as a dry creek bed, fairy garden and bike track.
Elements of the existing playground, particularly the boat for the sandpit and a cubby house, will be retained in the new design.
‘‘The play facilities will incorporate a wide range of learning environments for our children,” Ms Girdwood said.
‘‘The designs are complete, and the play spaces will be completed in time for us to open on schedule.
‘‘We wanted to include a range of different spaces that provide consistent access to and reflect the environment.
‘‘All of the rooms are designed to open up onto the space, to provide open access to the playground.’’
Educators and even students at the preschool provided input on the designs, and Ms Girdwood said it resulted in some ‘‘pretty creative ideas’’.
‘‘My own daughter had some pretty strong demands for a ‘rainbow slide’ and a ‘wobbly bridge’,’’ she confessed.
Though unfortunately lacking in rainbow slides and wobbly bridges, children have nonetheless taken a keen interest in the development of the new building.
‘‘The new site is just across the road from our current building, so the development has been the talk of the town and for our students,’’ said Ms Girdwood.
‘‘Our educators have done excursions in the past where they’ve taken some of the four year-old preschool students across to see the construction site.
‘‘They’re especially interested in the big trucks and earthworks.’’
The new facility has been long awaited in Jerilderie, with funding initially allocated in 2016 following revelations that current spaces were unable to meet the needs of local families.
The new centre will cater to a maximum of 43 children at a time, with facilities suitable for babies from six weeks old up to five year-olds.
The multifunctional design boasts a nursery with a sleep room catering to eight babies, a toddler room, a preschool room, a communal dining hall and an allied health room.
Current operating hours will allot for 10 hours of care per day, from 8am to 6pm, though Ms Girdwood said times are adaptable depending on community need.
‘‘The benefit of being run by a committee is that we can make changes depending on the needs of local families,” she said.
The preschool was granted $994,000 funding from the Stronger Country Communities fund in 2018, with further funds received from the NSW Government Stronger Communities Fund shortly after.
Since then, Jerilderie preschool has successfully been awarded funding from the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnerships, FRRR – Tackling Tough Times Together, NSW Premier, and Quality Learning Environment Grant.
‘‘The Jerilderie Preschool committee is incredibly appreciative of the ongoing support from Murrumbidgee Council, New South Wales Member for Albury Justin Clancy and Federal Member for Farrer Sussan Ley,’’ said Ms Girdwood.