New 130-place early learning centre at Deakin to strengthen Warrnambool workforce pipeline

Scheduled to open in early 2028, the centre will be delivered through a partnership between the Victorian Government, Deakin University, South West TAFE and Warrnambool City Council.

The new service will provide long day care and three- and four-year-old kindergarten programs for children from six weeks of age through to school age, while also creating a practical learning environment for the next generation of early childhood educators and teachers.

The centre will provide 130 licensed early learning places, significantly increasing capacity at the Warrnambool university campus.

It will replace Warrnambool City Council’s existing 35-place Sherwood Park Early Learning Centre, creating approximately 95 additional places for local children and families.

Alongside the early learning service, the development will include dedicated space for child, family and community services, creating opportunities for more integrated support for children and families.

But it is the connection between service delivery and educator training that sets the development apart.

Dedicated training and observation spaces will allow students to learn alongside experienced early childhood professionals while completing their qualifications.

The centre will support students undertaking South West TAFE’s Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, as well as those studying Deakin University’s new Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, which is scheduled to commence in 2027.

The co-location creates a direct pathway between education, professional placement and potential employment at a time when regional communities continue to face challenges attracting and retaining qualified early childhood professionals.

Deakin University School of Education Head Professor Damian Blake described the model as a “living classroom”, giving students opportunities to connect their tertiary studies with practical experience in an operating early childhood environment.

For Deakin students, who will complete at least 80 days of professional placement as part of their early childhood degree, having an early learning service located on campus will provide another connection between theory and practice.

Victorian Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said the centre would create opportunities for both children and future educators.

“This centre puts students on campus learning alongside experienced educators,” Minister Blandthorn said.

“More local kids will get quality early education, with more time to learn through play before school.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Gabrielle Williams said the development would bring education opportunities closer to regional communities while creating opportunities for educators and young children.

Member for Western Victoria Jacinta Ermacora also highlighted the project's potential contribution to the region's early childhood workforce.

The workforce component is particularly significant for Warrnambool City Council, which has identified the need for additional kindergarten teachers, diploma-qualified educators and Certificate III educators across its early years services.

Council already supports trainees and existing employees to gain and upgrade their qualifications, with the new university-based model creating another pathway for people to train locally and potentially remain in the regional workforce.

The development will eventually replace Warrnambool City Council's existing Sherwood Park Early Learning Centre at the Deakin campus.

Council has acknowledged that the transition will be significant for the educators and families connected with the existing service and has indicated it wants to retain the knowledge and experience of its Sherwood Park workforce.

With the new Early Learning Victoria centre not expected to open until 2028, Council has time to work with employees on potential transitions into other council-operated kindergartens and early learning services.

The move from a 35-place service to a 130-place centre represents a substantial increase in early childhood capacity for the area.

The Warrnambool centre forms part of the Victorian Government's commitment to establish 50 Early Learning Victoria centres across the state.

Eighteen centres have already opened, supporting more than 1,800 children, with another 13 scheduled to open during 2027 and 2028.

The expansion sits alongside Victoria's broader early childhood reforms, including Free Kinder, as the state continues to increase both early learning infrastructure and workforce capacity.

For Warrnambool, however, the significance of the new centre extends beyond the creation of additional places.

Bringing together an early learning service, university and TAFE training pathways, professional placement opportunities and family and community services creates a model in which workforce development is embedded directly into early childhood infrastructure.

At a time when access to qualified educators and teachers remains one of the major challenges facing ECEC, the Warrnambool project demonstrates how investment in new places can also be used to invest in the people needed to deliver them.

When the doors open in 2028, the centre will therefore serve two generations of learners,  the children accessing early education and care, and the future educators and teachers preparing to build their careers in the sector.

This article draws on information published by Inside State Government and Warrnambool City Council.