YMCA Ballarat will become one of the biggest kindergarten providers in the state after it takes over management of 36 Melbourne kindergartens at the start of next year.
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The service already operates 50 kindergartens across Victoria which educate about 2500 children, and with the additional metropolitan kindergartens will manage 86 services and the early education of around 4200 preschoolers.
"It's probably fair to say it's biggest transition or acquisitions of kinders ever," said YMCA Ballarat chief operating officer Craig Mathieson. "It's a very uncommon thing to happen for 36 kinders to come up a one time."
The opportunity to take on the Melbourne kindergarten services came when current provider bestchance decided to transition away from kindergarten cluster management.
"The process happened during the midst of COVID, making it difficult circumstances to try to work out the capacity for significant growth wile finding out the lay of the land."
Following a rigorous expression of interest and approval process by the Department of Education and Training in partnership with local governments, YMCA Ballarat was confirmed to become the new service provider.
Eighteen of the new kindergartens are in Monash with the remaining kinders spread across Banyule, Boroondara, Manningham, Maroondah, Nillumbik, Whitehorse and Yarra City Council areas.
YMCA Ballarat and bestchance will work together over the next six months to transition the services and employees, and YMCA will take on sole management from the start of term one 2021.
The transition will also create five to 10 new jobs in YMCA Ballarat's office in Barkly Square, and when the transition is complete all kindergarten staff previously employed through bestchance will be employed by YMCA Ballarat.
Mr Mathieson said the cluster of metropolitan kinders filled a gap in their service provision.
"We are managing 50 kinders regionally and that (metropolitan Melbourne) was a gap in our geographic location. We've got some kinders in Mildura, a recreation service in Portland, kinder in Mallacoota and most regional places in between but metropolitan areas were a gap for us and this fills it."
YMCA Ballarat will be the licensed provider with the Department of Education and Training, and local councils, for the 36 metropolitan kinders taking over the governance and management of the individual services, employing staff, implementing the curriculum and being accountable for their operations.
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In doing so they will work with local government and parent advisory groups to deliver the service each kinder needs.
"Local liaison is an important part of that to make sure we tailor the services needed.
"Regionally it might be the only kinder in a small country town, or it might be one of many in the more competitive environment of metropolitan areas."
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