Speaking Up for Kinder Families

Council will lobby State and Federal Members of Parliament and write to the Prime Minister and Senior Ministers to urge that Federal Government funding for five hours of kindergarten continue beyond December 2019.

In its May 2018 Budget, the Federal Government revealed it had not committed funding beyond December 2019 for five hours of kindergarten a week. The funding was introduced in 2013. Victorian children currently receive 10 hours of kinder funded by the State Government and five hours from the Federal Government per week.

However, the withdrawal of Federal funding could mean that the families of 79,000 Victorian kindergarten children could face a fee increase of 129%. This would make kinder unaffordable for many families particularly those most vulnerabl.e

There are currently 1,234 four year olds enrolled for kinder in Monash with parents now enrolling their children for four year old kinder in 2020 and  expecting 15 hours of kinder per week.

As well as writing to advocate to MPs, Council will join the Municipal Association of Victorian and Eastern Metropolitan Councils to campaign for stable funding and universal access to 15 hours of kindergarten per week for all children.

More information

More information is available under Item 2.1 (Agenda/Decisions) to the Council Meeting held on 28 August 2018.