Erica families fight to save kinder
A shocked community is prepared to fight plans to close Erica Preschool at the end of this year.
More than 20 parents, children and community members gathered at the preschool site on Wednesday morning - less than 24 hours after being advised via email - of the closure.
“It was a big surprise to wake up to yesterday,” parent Krystal Galea said. “Devastating actually.”
“We don’t want to leave. We want our kids to make friends here, where they live.”
Y Kinders - who manage local kindergarten services - acknowledged the decision was unexpected.
“This decision has not been made lightly,” Y Kinders said in an email to families. “The challenges faced include ensuring we have the appropriate staff engaged, and the low enrolment numbers have contributed to our decision.”
However, families disagree, with 10 children currently enrolled in the combined three and four-year-old program and nine enrolments expected next year, including two new families.
Baw Baw Shire councillor Michael Leaney joined the gathering and said the Erica Preschool had been previously threatened with closure in 2021.
The community successfully fought to save it.
Cr Leaney also expressed concern Rawson Primary School could be the next target.
“It’s a feeder. A simple way to close down the school is to close down the kindergarten.”
He said withdrawing basic services from remote communities could signal the collapse of towns like Erica and Rawson.
“To me, I think the challenge here is that there are not any alternatives,” Cr Leaney said, noting families face two to three hours of travel per day to take children to the closest services in Moe, Tyers or Willow Grove.
“Early learning is a really important part of any child’s start in life. And yet, remote communities are being disadvantaged by the closure of kinders such as this.”
“People only move into places like Erica and Rawson if there are basic services, like a kindergarten, like a school.”
“It’s being closed for all the wrong reasons it’s not because there’s not the kids here to use the service - I think it’s being closed because it’s all too hard.”
Parent Brent Tolsma said his family moved to the region for its peace and quiet, fresh air, great community and work.
He was worried about future kids in the town.
“It’s worrying,” he said. “It makes it really hard.”
Born and bred in Erica, Mary-Anne Schmit said she had attended to show support, having attended the kinder in the early 1970s.
Baw Baw Shire, who owns the building, said they were formally advised of Y Kinders’ intention not to renew the lease last month.
Strategy and organisational performance director Cohen Van der Velde said council’s maternal and child health service operated from the building once a month for up to three hours and “there are no changes planned”.
He said six children attended Erica Preschool in 2022, seven in 2023 and 10 this year.
Upon advice from Y Kinders, Mr Van de Velde confirmed families would not be able to register interest in attending Erica when kinder enrolments open this week and “council has not been advised by Y Kinders of a viable enrolment figure”. “Council is 100 per cent committed to supporting affected community members,” he added, whether at Baw Baw or Latrobe City facilities.
Ms Galea, who has had four kids attend and holds hopes for a fifth, said the preschool had a wonderful long-term teacher, great facilities and offered a bush kinder program at the local reserve.
“The backyard space for the children is amazing, they can have adventures. Even inside, you’ve got nature tables,” Ms Galea said. “It’s just unreal. It would be so sad to see it go.”
She urged local parents to pre-register their children to attend Erica Preschool and called upon the wider community to sign a “save our kinder” petition. The petition can be viewed at cognitoforms.com/BawBawShireCouncil/SignAPetition