The Otago Community Trust has been instrumental in helping Oamaru establish an outdoor play area for a much-needed new kindergarten.
The Trust donated $75,000 to the new Glen Warren kindergarten, which opened in July 2013. The facility was converted from a surplus prefab building at North School, and complements the three other kindergartens already established in Oamaru; the increased capacity very welcome.
The Trust's funding was used to create an outdoor environment including a carpentry area, a trolley track, swings, a soft fall area and a sandpit.
Oamaru Kindergarten Association General Manager Julie Craig said fundraising and planning for the project has been massive, but the 30 new spaces it will create will make a big difference to the large numbers of under five-year-olds currently on waiting lists or missing out on early childhood education. 'We're extremely pleased to be able to use the money to create an outdoor area that will offer valuable play experiences," she said.
