Brand Architects have delivered four brand-new Early Learning Centres for the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA). These new centres form a key component of the Victorian Government’s Best Start, Best Life reform, providing free kindergarten to all 3 and 4 year old children from 2023, and progressively introducing 30 hours of ‘Pre-Prep’ for 4 year olds from 2025.
These newly opened centres are the first of 50 affordable and accessible early learning facilities to be established across the state. Strategically located in two metropolitan and two regional areas, each site is co-located with existing primary schools to strengthen connections between schools, families, and local communities.
Designed with a holistic approach to early childhood development, the centres offer a range of integrated services tailored to local needs. These may include maternal and child health services, allied health consulting rooms, playgroups, and adaptable community spaces.
The design of each centre has been developed in close consultation with Indigenous communities to ensure they are welcoming, inclusive, and culturally responsive to the environment. Key design features include local Indigenous language used as part of room naming, room identity, and wayfinding, local Indigenous plant species informing the internal finishes colour palettes, and Indigenous plant species incorporated throughout the landscaping.
The centres aim to make daily routines simpler for families, support a smoother transition to primary school, and improve access to kindergarten for more children across Victoria.