14 FebEnsure you check all deliveries for FREE RAT kits
A reminder to Vic Early Childhood Education and Care services to ensure that you are monitoring your emails from the Victorian Government regarding delivery of free at home, Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) for Victorian children aged three to five attending Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services while services should also be checking all deliveries for the test kits.
Test kits are continuing to be delivered to services for distribution to families. The roll out has begun with sessional kindergartens to be followed by other early childhood services including long day care, family day care and occasional care. The Victorian Department of Education and Training has advised that due to a national carton shortage test kits may be packaged in re-used boxes / cartons displaying products not related to test kits e.g. food stuffs. Please do not ignore or store these packages in the wrong area i.e. ensure you open and check the contents as it could be the RAT test supplies for your service’s children.
These test supplies are in addition to the RATs supplied to the ECEC workforce. OSHC are already receiving RAT kits via the schools distribution scheme.
Services are reminded that RATs provide an added layer of protection but are voluntary. Please encourage parents and carers to use these tests twice weekly, but please note the Victorian Department of Education and Training have advised that completion of tests by families cannot be a condition of entry to a service.
Please see the latest update from the Victorian Department of Education and Training by CLICKING HERE for more information about test delivery to services, advice to parents re administering tests, and contact reporting obligations in the event of a child recording a positive result.
