The Panorama Avenue children’s service will continue to operate thanks to a $2000 donation from the Midfield Group.

In May The Standard reported the kinder feared it would be forced to close its doors permanently due to financial pressures.

Employed teacher and kinder director Diane Essenwanger said the donation was “a positive step in the right direction.”

“It has definitely helped us,” she said. 

“We’ve had eight new enrollments which has meant we won’t finish at the end of the year.

“We’ve also welcomed a lot of first-time mums so a new cycle has started and that’s really positive.”

The Kinder also received support from other community groups following a public call-out.

“The Kiwanis group helped us out at our opening day and past and present parents have all shown great support,” she said.

Ms Essengwanger and her team of long-serving teachers have been appealing to community groups for financial support through their Save our Kinder campaign launched earlier this year.

“If anything it (the campaign) has validated that our kinder was worth fighting for,” Ms Essengwanger said.

“We are now open for business next year and we’re still taking enrollments.

“The good news is we’re keeping our doors open.”

Ms Essenwanger has been an employed teacher at the not-for-profit community-run kinder for over 13 years.

Her co-educators Renay Harris and Jeanna Johnstone have been at the kinder for six years and five years respectively.

“It would have been so sad for all of us to have said goodbye to this place,” Ms Essengwanger said.

“And while filling the three sessions per week is great, if we could return to four sessions per week that’d be amazing.”

“The important thing is we’re open for next year. That’s a small step in the right direction.”

Related: Kinder seeks help for unsure future