Shire of Mingenew seeks community funding for daycare centre redevelopment

The Shire of Mingenew is seeking financial assistance from the community to help fund the redevelopment of the local daycare centre to meet demand. Rising costs have left the local government unable to fully fund the expansion of the centre’s capacity from 12 to 24 children. The Shire is able to provide $330,000 to the redevelopment and has applied for another $250,000 from the State Government’s Regional Economic Development Scheme, but the project is expected to cost between $800,000 and $1 million. In a Shire council meeting on November 16, the plan to create a special reserve fund was approved, allowing community members and organisations to contribute to the project. Shire President Gary Cosgrove said the town sorely lacked adequate childcare services. “The community is getting extremely frustrated . . . because it means certain people in the workforce just can’t work, or they have to make other arrangements because they can’t put their kids in childcare,” he said. The idea was initially proposed by members of the community who wanted to help out. Cr Cosgrove said it was frustrating that the Shire needed to rely on community members in the first place. “That’s one of the great difficulties of small communities,” he said. “We might generate huge funds through our community for the benefit of the State, and yet trying to attract State dollars back is ridiculously difficult.” An expanded daycare centre is something locals have asked for since 2019 according to Shire CEO Matt Fanning, as the centre currently does not meet even 50 per cent of the requested capacity. Mr Fanning said the community has been enthusiastic about supporting the project, and has already supported a number of fundraising initiatives such as a program where growers can donate proceeds from crops to the Shire. “It is fantastic that we have a very active community with members that go the extra mile to assist in establishing fund raising opportunities such as this one,” he said