The Victorian Government grants program aims to help keep children and staff COVIDSafe.
State Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes announced more than $7.5 million worth of grants will be available for about 1700 Victorian not-for-profit kindergarten services to support additional ventilation and air-purification measures.
“Eligible kinder services in Northern Victoria will be able to opt-in for the funding to improve the ventilation or air-purification measures to facilitate the continuity of early years learning under COVIDSafe measures,” Ms Symes said.
Eligible services will be sent an email where they simply opt-in for the grant ─ which can be spent on ventilation and air-purification enhancements as well as small-scale building works, such as adding or replacing windows and installing outdoor shade structures to increase learning outside.
Funding will be available from Monday, October 18, and is open to all Victorian not-for-profit funded sessional and long day care providers offering a funded three or four-year-old kindergarten program.
Many Victorian early childhood education and care services can already create environments with good ventilation through opening windows and doors, and using existing outdoor learning spaces to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.
Air purification is also an important measure for spaces where there may be limited ability to increase ventilation, such as kitchens or staff areas.
This follows the Victorian Chief Health Officer’s directions that vaccination is a requirement of work in an early childhood setting — protecting children, staff and the broader community.
All workers in early childhood settings must have a first dose by October 25, with full vaccination required by November 29 unless a medical exemption applies.
To find out more, visit schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/Pages/Kinder-Ventilation-Support
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