Community
22 October, 2025
Kinder available in Timboon
READY, Set, Go in Timboon has received the go-ahead from the Victorian Government to run kindergarten in 2026, offering a great new program to parents across the region.
The day care centre will soon be offering both three-year-old and four-year-old kindergarten as well as long day care options, providing much-needed relief to parents who would otherwise have to travel long distances to access these services.
Kindergarten teacher Vijeta Bhatia said she was thrilled to offer the new curriculum to both children and parents in the Timboon area.
“The best thing is that we are located at a place where we can say kinder is in high demand,” she said.
“Parents are looking for kinder plus long day care which is only available 40 kilometres from here right now.”
She said the process to become a kindergarten centre was long, but she appreciated all the work which had gone in to make it happen.
“I really appreciate the effort done by Zeke Pottage, who is our owner and our director,” Mrs Bhatia said.
“He has done all the effort in getting the funding and paperwork done.
“He acquired the centre last year and started working on getting this funding done.
“I started working here in mid-June 2025, because that’s when we were really close to getting the funding done.”
Mrs Bhatia has a strong portfolio behind her, putting her in the perfect position for the role at the centre.
“I’m a fully registered VIT teacher – I’ve got a Masters of Education from the University of Melbourne and a graduate diploma from Victoria University,” she said.
“I have a deep passion going towards regional areas and supporting the community there.
“We have local people working with us – I myself am based in Timboon now and we understand the community and the children.
“This centre has been working for more than 12 years as a very successful day care centre, with the educators ranging from six to eight years of experience – and these people, they know the parents, they know the siblings.
“They tell me which children already have two siblings who have gone through us, so they have that connection with the parents and I really appreciate their understanding of the local community.”
Mrs Bhatia said she was always prepared to bring new ideas and initiatives into the classroom.
“I think we are coming up with a lot of really innovative ideas, looking at the children who are coming from a farm background, and we will be running the program considering their individual needs,” she said.
“At the same time, I’m coming in with experience as I have Bachelor of Science so we can add some science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) knowledge too.
“At a very early stage we would be focusing on emotional regulation and at the same time exposing the children to various STEM technologies.”
She said everything the children experienced at Ready, Set, Go would benefit them in their learning for the future.
“When I started here, I signed up with Zoo Victoria for online webinars and even if we have limited resources, I set up the computer in the room and had the children watch the webinar,” Mrs Bhatia said.
“That was the first time those children have watched those kinds of animals – I talk to the children and most of them don’t get the opportunity to visit the Melbourne Zoo or Healesville Sanctuary.
“I’m coming with experience of having worked in Melbourne for a year as a teacher and my focus is to support the children to grow in the community with their own knowledge and with exposure to what’s going on around the world.”
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