Shine Bright is excited to announce that the Beechworth Kindergarten in Indigo Shire will join the Shine Bright Early Years Manager (EYM) group of kindergartens, strengthening the organisation’s presence in northeast Victoria and taking the total number of Shine Bright services that will operate at the start of 2027 to forty-six.
The transfer of kindergarten operation from a volunteer Committee of Management (COM) to an Early Years Manager is intended to provide a longer-term and sustainable model of care and education for the children in Beechworth.
CEO of Shine Bright EYM, Richie Evans, said that Shine Bright’s growth is driven by a clear conviction – Victorian children and families deserve access to high-quality education and care, delivered by capable, supported educators in welcoming community settings.
“We know the difference that a strong kindergarten experience can make for a child’s learning, wellbeing and lifelong outcomes – and we know our services consistently deliver that quality. All of our services currently have a Meeting or Exceeding rating against the National Quality Standard (NQS) and each service prides itself on being central to the community in which they operate.
“Thanks to the incredible work of the Beechworth COM, teachers, educators and parent community, the kindergarten already has a NQS of Meeting. Now, the hard work that has enabled Beechworth Kindergarten to thrive will be leveraged within a broader network of professional and educational expertise,” he said.
Shine Bright is a leading provider of early years education driven by passion, not profit. Our staff are highly skilled professionals who are backed by strong mentoring, coaching and collaboration across 44 services, benefiting from a network of 500 early learning experts in central and northern Victoria. With deep community roots and well-resourced services, our professional educators offer care and learning that are the foundations for lifelong learning.
President of the Beechworth COM, Rebecca Spiteri, said that staff, families and the COM wanted what was best for the children and a kindergarten that could continue to thrive well into the future.
“With increasing legislative requirements and the Victorian Government’s introduction of Best Start Best Life reforms which will see the four-year-old kindergarten program gradually increase to 30 hours per week, we believe that putting the kindergarten under the management of an experienced Early Years Manager is the best move for everyone.
“Our voluntary committee members have done an incredible job for many years but it is increasingly difficult to find volunteers with sufficient time and expertise to perform the vital roles we need to provide high-quality kindergarten programs to the community.
“We are excited to be transferring the operation of our much-loved kindergarten to Shine Bright who are committed to providing fully funded kindergarten to local families, with accessible hours.
“We are confident that Shine Bright is a supportive and values-driven organisation who will value our staff and their community connection. And we are really excited that kindergarten staff will have access to a higher level of staff professional development and organisational support.
“Parent volunteers will continue to work with Shine Bright to keep the heart of our kindergarten firmly entrenched in Beechworth community, but our support will be in a different capacity, mostly through fundraising efforts and community connections,” she said.
2027 enrolments for Beechworth Kindergarten will open soon via the Loddon Mallee Preschool Association. Current families will be notified directly when enrolments open.