Specialist centres 26 February 2025

Bendigo Early Parenting Centre opens its doors

New parents and caregivers in Bendigo and surrounding communities will now have access to specialised support to care for their little ones.

Construction is now complete on the new early parenting centre in Bendigo.

The facility is one of 12 new and upgraded early parenting centres being built across the state.

A home away from home

The new early parenting centre is designed to feel like a home away from home.

It features:

10 home-stay family units
four day-stay places
kitchen and dining areas
playrooms

The centre will provide both short and longer-term programs. These aim to improve the health, wellbeing and development outcomes of children up to four years of age.

The family units are designed with flexibility in mind and support different family structures. Families can bring multiple children and the centre can accommodate an older sibling, grandparent, or other carer during their stay.

Bendigo Early Parenting Centre now complete

Accessible transcript

[Text on screen: The new multi-million-dollar Early Parenting Centre in Bendigo is complete]

[Images: Aerial views of the centre]

[Text on screen: Have a look inside]

[Images: A montage showing various shots of the interior rooms]

[Text on screen: The new facility will provide expert advice to parents experiencing challenges with sleep, settling and feeding, plus extra care for babies and toddlers with additional needs]

[Images: A montage showing various shots of the interior rooms]

[Text on screen: There are 10 home-stay family units and four day-stay places]

[Images: Footage of the bedroom and bathroom facilities in the centre]

[Text on screen: Kitchen and dining areas, playrooms and outdoor play areas]

[Images: Footage of the kitchen, dining and play facilities]

[Text on screen: All designed to feel like a home away from home]

[Images: Views of the garden]

[Text on screen: New parents will have the specialised support they need, closer to home]

[Images: The exterior of the entrance; aerial views of the centre]

[Images: A sliding transition screen displays the Victorian Health Building Authority and Victoria State Government logos and the URL vhba.vic.gov.au]

[End of transcript]

What can the centre help with?

The new centre will provide expert advice to parents experiencing challenges with sleep, settling and feeding. It will also offer extra care for babies and toddlers with additional needs.

Sleep and settling is one of the biggest challenges facing new parents. Around half of Victorian parents who use early parenting centres reported problems with their child’s sleep. This can lead to postnatal depression, isolation and stress for parents. It can also affect a child’s behavioural, mental and physical development.

About the Early parenting centres expansion and upgrade program

The $148 million early parenting centres expansion and upgrade program will more than triple the number of early parenting centres (EPCs) in Victoria.

The program is delivering:

upgrades to two existing EPCs in Footscray and Noble Park
building eight new EPCs in growing areas across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Once complete, the network of centres will support more than 5,000 additional Victorian families each year.

Learn more about the Early parenting centres expansion and upgrade program.