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Meli takes on management of the new Poa Banyul Community Hub

Meli continues to lead the way in the provision of early years services, having taken over management of the new Mount Duneed Community Hub, Poa Banyul.

Meli is the new name for recently merged organisations Barwon Child Youth and Family (BCYF) and the Bethany Group. These two leading non-profit organisations came together as one in early April and now represent one of the region’s largest employers with a combined workforce of more than 750 staff.

Acquiring the Poa Banyul Community Hub will bring Meli’s total kindergarten count to 30 sites across the Geelong region, including the Bellarine Peninsula and Colac. Each of these centres offer 15 hours a week of funded three and four-year-old kindergarten.

Along with providing Meli kindergarten services, the Poa Banyul Community Hub will accommodate a range of early years and family services including maternal and child health, family support consulting rooms and flexible community spaces.

As one of the first integrated facility of its kind, the hub will provide babies and young children with the very best start in life, while offering parents and carers an accessible and welcoming community space.

As well as being the largest local kindergarten provider, Meli is proud of the high-quality education they provide with several kindergartens in the network achieving the highest rating in the National Quality Standard (NQS) by the Department of Education and Training. The Meli kindergarten curriculum is designed to incorporate an Anti-Bias Approach, meaning Meli educators work with every child, every day to promote kindness, equity and equal opportunity.

Meli also specialises in parenting groups, pre-school readiness with its HIPPY programs, and its Early Childhood Approach through its partnership with the NDIS, making it a leader in the early childhood space.

Meli CEO Grant Boyd said he is looking forward to the hub (which has capacity for a three-room kindergarten program) being a place that brings the local community together, where friendships are made and where families can access important services.

“Meli is proud to take on the management of the Poa Banyul Community Hub and we look forward to making a valuable contribution to the dynamic, growing communities of Mount Duneed and Armstrong Creek,” Mr Boyd said.

“We are excited to be part of this fully integrated new Hub where our experienced team will work together with local families and children, to create a fair, safe, and inclusive community where everyone can thrive.”

“The new Poa Banyul kindergarten is a wonderful addition to our existing network of 29 kindergartens,” he said.

The Hub has been made possible through $10.7million in funding by Council, along with $2.25 million from the Victorian Government.

The facility at 110-122 Unity Drive, Mount Duneed will be handed over to Meli in May with kindergarten programs set to commence in Term 3 from Monday 10 July 2023.

Meli is now accepting registrations for children to attend the new kindergarten. For more information on Meli’s kindergarten programs, phone 03 5273 0200 or register online now at www.meli.org.au/kindergartens.

 

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