Community Centres & Venues for Hire
  • Email
  • Print

Poets Grove Family and Children's Centre

Poets Grove Family and Children's Centre

The Centre offers 60 long-day care places plus 30 sessional kindergarten places with the option of an additional 15 occasional care places to operate from a multi-purpose room as well as maternal and child health and other specialist services. 

Priority for the 30 sessional kindergarten places will go to four year olds, in line with Department of Human Services funding and policies.

For further information about Poets Grove Family and Children's Centre click the link to 
Poets Grove Website.
 


Media Releases

Why do we need Poets Grove Family and Children's Centre?

Two local churches in Elwood decided to withdraw their buildings for use as early childhood services to local families. This means that the Scott Street Children's Centre was required to find alternative premises from 2007. St Bede's Early Learning Centre is operating from the West St Kilda Children's Centre in York St.

There is significant unmet need for childcare in Elwood and across the municipality. Council has a plan to retain and increase childcare places across the City of Port Phillip.
 

What is Poets Grove Family and Children's Centre?

Council and local service providers have collaborated to achieve a vibrant integrated health, care and education service for families in Elwood. The State Government supports this project and has contributed $500,000 toward the development of the site.

Elwood Primary School Council and Port Phillip Council have been working together to achieve the family and children's centre at the Poets Grove site. This has included ways to integrate the site with the primary school whilst maintaining community access to the school site outside school hours and developing alternative pathways for use at all times.

The establishment of a family and children's services facility at the Poets Grove site included a land swap arrangement between the Elwood Primary School and council. Council is transferring sections of Shelley Street and Mitford Street to the School in return for land to construct the new centre. 
 

Background to the Poets Grove site

There is a significant shortage of childcare places across the municipality. Council has committed $6.57 million to childcare capital works to maintain and increase childcare places across the city. 

Originally, the council had planned to contribute to a second campus to provide sessional kindergarten places at St Columba's Primary School. These were to replace the 26 places lost by the closure of St Bede's Early Learning Centre last year. However the St Columba's site was considered unfeasible due to:

  •  the site could not accommodate 30 places
  • costs were significantly higher than available funds
     

Planning of the Poets Grove site

In July 2004, Council resolved to explore the opportunity to establish an early childhood centre on the grounds of the Elwood Primary School. The site faces onto Poets Grove at the Tennyson Street end of the primary school.

Elwood Primary School Council and Port Phillip Council have worked alongside each other to plan and deliver the Centre. This has included ways to integrate the site with the primary school whilst maintaining community access to the school site outside school hours and developing alternative pedestrian and cyclist pathways for use at all times.

In August 2004, Council surveyed local residents in the immediate area to seek their views regarding a proposed closure of Shelley Street from Mitford Street to the canal.

In November 2004, Council wrote to residents informing them of their intention to close Shelley Street from Mitford Street to the canal.  In May 2005 Council resolved to close the road subject to satisfactory negotiations with the State Government regarding the land required for the Elwood Family and Children's Centre.

The establishment of an early childhood services facility was premised on a land swap arrangement. Council obtained the land to construct the new family and children's centre from the State Government by 'swapping' the sections of Mitford Street and Shelley Street that cross the school grounds with the land required to build the Centre.  
 

For More Information

Use eServices to ask us a question, request information or give us feedback online. If you prefer phone ASSIST on (03) 9209 6777 or TTy (03) 9209 6713 and ask for the Elwood Family & Children's Centre project.

For translations telephone the council's interpreter service:
Cantonese - 9679 9810, Greek - 9679 9811, Polish - 9679 9812, Russian - 9679 9813