Tuesday, 27 August 2024

Donvale Montessori

Nicole WERNER (Warrandyte) (19:18): (799) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Education, and the action I seek is for the minister to prioritise grant funding for Donvale Montessori kinder, which is at risk of closing due to a funding shortfall. The Donvale Montessori early education centre is a respected, not-for-profit, Montessori-accredited early learning centre in our community, serving over 100 families. Despite its outstanding reputation and adherence to the Montessori quality assurance program, the centre is facing severe financial challenges and requires an immediate $50,000 funding injection to avoid closure.

As one of only four Montessori-accredited centres in Victoria, Donvale Montessori is recognised for its commitment to quality education. The closure of this institution would displace many families and severely impact the broader Montessori community. It would also affect Mitcham Primary School, which relies on Donvale Montessori graduates for its own Montessori programs, as students must have attended an accredited early education centre in order to qualify for the subsequent cycles of the Montessori program that are taken at a primary level. Already many parents have been disappointed because of the introduction of new Montessori-like programs that unfortunately do not qualify them to proceed to Mitcham Primary Montessori and have had to change their plans and send their kids to mainstream schools against their original intention. The closure of Donvale Montessori as a local accredited option will thus have flow-on effects beyond early learning for those who desire to educate their children in the Montessori way.

Donvale Montessori is putting in a submission for a Building Blocks kinder grant, and I urge the minister to prioritise this great centre in the administration of the grant. I hope the government will act to ensure that essential, community-driven institutions like Donvale Montessori receive the support that they desperately need and that it supports local families in my electorate.