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Children's centre bigger and brighter

27 April 2005

The newly renovated and extended Monash Children's Centre at the Clayton campus was launched last week by vice-chancellor Professor Richard Larkins.

Childcare: from left: Professor Richard Larkins, Mrs Julie Cauchi and Mrs Ellinor Campbell celebrate the relaunch of the Monash Children's Centre with some of the children from the centre.

The extension, which took 16 months to complete, has added several rooms and substantially increased the children's outdoor play area.

Centre coordinator Mrs Ellinor Campbell said the extension had created two large rooms with new playgrounds -- one area currently used by the three-year-olds and the other by kindergarten children.

Mrs Campbell thanked the university for providing the financial support that made the extensions a reality.

Fellow coordinator Mrs Julie Cauchi said all existing rooms in the centre had been renovated and the playgrounds re-landscaped. "We've welcomed the addition of a staff planning room and a breast feeding/interview room," Mrs Cauchi said.

Professor Larkins, who toured the updated facility, said the centre was an important resource for staff and students.

"One of the big challenges for universities is to make sure we have childcare facilities that encourage people to come to Monash to work and study," Professor Larkins said.

"It's great to see the capacity of this centre being expanded so we can now have 100 children here rather than 60 as it was before."

The Monash Children's Centre was the first university-based, parent-managed childcare centre in Victoria. It opened in Beddoe Avenue, Clayton, in 1968.

It was started by student parents with the support of the student union.