Wednesday, 5 March 2025

Bayside early childhood education and care

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (19:15): (1049) My adjournment matter is for the Premier, and the action I seek is for the Premier to step in and ensure the ongoing viability of kindergartens in Bayside, because the state Labor government’s kindergarten policy is having a detrimental effect upon them. The first years of life are important for learning and development. Early learning leads to enhanced lifelong opportunities. Sessional kindergarten offers quality preschool education for both three- and four-year-old children, but in Bayside our kindergartens face an uncertain future. That is why our community kindergartens now meet as a community kindergarten summit. The summit is an opportunity to discuss the challenges facing Bayside kindergartens, including the shortfall in free kinder funding, with one kindergarten calling out that the implementation of free kinder has put significant financial strain on many kindergartens across the Bayside area.

The summit is also an opportunity for them to raise any other concerns the kindergartens in our community may have. At its most recent February meeting the kindergartens met to talk about the future viability of services in Bayside. That discussion included the need for council to be proactive in its community communications, including the advertising of kindergarten open days and the need for council to better strategically plan. To ensure that the community has access to long-term, high-quality services and assets, council will need to improve their delivery of infrastructure upgrades and improve their long-term strategic planning. That work must be done in partnership with our kindergarten network.

The group also discussed the importance of a sustainable funding model. Only adequate funding will ensure that our kindergartens continue to provide high-quality services. For Melbourne kinders the cost of rent and overheads is greater that the government’s funding model, and by blocking providers from seeking support from parents to fill the shortfall Labor is risking the medium-term viability of quality Melbourne kindergarten providers. This is an issue that is felt across Melbourne, not just Bayside. As one kindergarten said, ‘We continue to be in a negative cash position due to the Victorian state government’s free kinder program. It is unbecoming of a state government supported kindergarten to ask for donations to survive.’

Although the government provided initial transition funding in the first year and a half payment in the second, that funding has not fixed the underlying problem. Premier, minister after minister has ignored this genuine issue threatening kindergartens in Melbourne and responded with the same copy-and-paste letter to every kindergarten that has raised it. Will you help fix it?