The Tasmanian Government has confirmed construction planning is officially underway for the new Huonville Early Childhood Education and Care Centre.
The purpose-built centre will be co-located with Huonville Primary School and will provide 200 places for local children and families once complete in the first half of 2028.
“This is an exciting step in our delivery of a new early learning centre for Huonville,” said Minister for Early Childhood Education, Jess Walsh.
“Local children deserve access to quality early education and care that will give them a great start in life.
“They deserve the chance to learn, grow and thrive in the years that matter most.
“Co-locating this service with Huonville Primary School will also help children transition smoothly to school and give families a one-stop drop in the morning and afternoon.”
The project is being jointly funded by the Australian Government’s Building Early Education Fund, the Tasmanian Government and Huon Valley Council.
“We have stepped up and partnered with the Federal Government to identify suitable, available land to enable new services to be built,” said Tasmanian Minister for Education, Jo Palmer.
“Here in the Huon, co-locating the early childhood education and care centre with Huonville Primary School will not only provide hundreds of families access to childcare but support a smooth transition to school as children in the Huon Valley reach Kindergarten age.
“As part of this partnership, five other new long day care centres for birth to five-year-olds will be constructed on school grounds in regional areas where there is a clear need.
“Services will be built at Westbury Primary and St Marys District School in the North, and Rosetta Primary, Bruny Island and Bothwell District High Schools in the South.”
With statutory planning approval in place, funding secured, and concept design proposed, the project is moving to the next critical stage.
A multi-stage tender process is underway to seek a contractor to finalise the design and then build the new centre, with an appointment expected in late 2026. Final designs will be shared with the community as they take shape.
Huon Valley Council has selected the preferred tenderer and expects to formally appoint the builder in the coming month. Construction is scheduled to start by mid-2027 and finish by mid-2028.
The community can keep up to date on this project by visiting Huon Valley Council’s dedicated project page on Engage Huon Valley: engage.huonvalley.tas.gov.au/huonville-early-childhood-education-centre.
