In an Australian first, under a re-elected Andrews Labor Government every Victorian child born will start kindergarten a year earlier, giving them the skills and experiences they need to be ready for school.
“Every parent worries about whether their child will be ready for school. With an extra year of kinder – and all the learning and play that brings – we’ll make sure they are,” said Premier Daniel Andrews quoting the recent research conducted by community service provider Uniting which shows that nearly one in five families do not have their children enrolled in early learning because of the cost.
“Universal access to three-year-old kinder is an Australian-first and make no mistake, this will change lives,” added Minister for Early Childhood Education Jenny Mikakos.
“While the Federal Liberal Government refuses to meet its commitments on four-year-old kindergarten, Labor is determined to make sure our kids are ready for school and ready for life. Both Australian and international research shows that the single most impactful reform we can make to our education system is to expand kinder to three-year-olds.”
If this is ratified, it will be the largest social, economic and educational reform ever undertaken in early childhood learning in Victoria’s history and great news for families struggling with the cost which is currently around $5000 a year for 15 hours – while the vast majority see their kids miss out.
Around a quarter of Victorian families will pay nothing at all, while families with a higher income will still see 65 per cent of their child’s kindergarten costs covered, consistent with the current subsidy for four-year-old kinder. This represents a saving of at least $3500 for families whose children attend a standalone kinder; a $5 billion investment over the next decade.
Those with kids who go to long-day-care will also benefit, with these centres given funding to employ teachers in their three-year-old rooms.
This initial expansion of 2020 will roll out to regional Victoria first, covering the areas that already have the capacity and facilities to meet demand – with Buloke, Hindmarsh, Northern Grampians, South Gippsland, Strathbogie and Yarriambiack all set to benefit.
In 2021, an extra 15 LGAs will come on board – Alpine, Ararat, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Colac-Otway, Corangamite, East Gippsland, Glenelg, Hepburn, Indigo, Loddon, Murrindindi, Southern Grampians, Towong and West Wimmera.