Projects

Following successfully securing an Early Learning Facility Upgrade Grant through the Victorian State Government’s Department of Education and Training, Save the Children approached Hayball to assist them in realising their dream to upgrade their current facility into a functional, inviting, and vibrant learning environment. Hayball and their sub-consultants undertook the project pro bono, in keeping with our commitment to servicing all sectors of the community.

The Mooroopna Kindergarten project satisfies the dual ambitions of significantly improving Save the Children’s ability to provide the best possible start to the lives of vulnerable children, as well as exploring creative, engaging and flexible uses of space conducive to early childhood learning.

The project involved extension and refurbishment of the existing poorly functioning facility. The renewed kindergarten now boasts a second multi-use classroom, a new storage shed, a larger and more functional internal kitchen space, a ‘kid’s kitchen’, and a welcoming reception area that allows staff to meet and support parents and carers. There was also an important landscaping element to the design that was vital in providing engaging and inviting spaces for play-based learning as well as an integrated kitchen garden zone that provides both learning experiences and access to fresh produce for families.

Save the Children have been involved in childcare in Mooroopna since 1969 and have run a kindergarten from their current location since the 1980s. In that time, they have provided a vital service for the most disadvantaged, isolated, and at-risk children living in an area acknowledged as one of the most significantly disadvantaged in Victoria.