AS THE child care crisis in country communities deepens, rural
councils and kindergartens have welcomed a “responsible” State budget that
indicates some relief for the sector.
The Coalition announced on Tuesday
$46.3m to be spent state-wide on pre-school services including:
– $34.3
million over five years for an additional 1000 places each year to support
children with disability or developmental delay
– $7 million for building and
upgrading children’s centres and kindergartens across Victoria, including growth
corridors and regional areas
– $4.6 million in scholarships to upgrade the
qualifications of early years educators
While it is not clear how much will
be spent in rural areas, let alone the Swan Hill region, the funding has been
widely welcomed amid a shortage of child care places for rural families.
For more on this story, see Friday’s edition of The Guardian (10/5/13).
