18 MayExtra cleaning and hygiene funding for kinders is great but more needed

Posted on 18 May 2020

ELAA welcomes the Victorian Government’s announcement of new funding grants to assist funded kindergarten services with cleaning and hygiene costs in Term 2 but looks forward to the grant period being extended and expanded to a wider selection of early childhood education and care services.

$2.6 million in grants will be made available for Victorian funded kindergarten services to help with the cost of high standards of cleaning and hygiene, consistent with the Australian Health Principal Practitioners Committee guidance (AHPPC). $900 grants for kindergarten services with less than 50 enrolments and $1,500 for those with 50 or more enrolments will be available.

“Prior to the Victorian Government’s announcement on 12 May regarding $45 million for enhanced cleaning in primary and secondary schools, ELAA had been active in its engagement with the Victorian Department of Education and Training that similar extra financial resources be made available to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services,” says ELAA CEO, David Worland.

“The May 12 announcement regarding extra support for schools did not seem to recognise that ECEC services also need to meet AHPPC guidelines.”

Kindergarten providers will now be able to choose how to use the extra funding as long as it is spent on meeting cleaning and hygiene for their kindergarten program such as extra hours of cleaning and purchasing hygiene products, such as hand sanitiser and soap.

While the grants are a welcome and necessary step, the funding will only cover a limited period and ELAA would like to see the initiative reviewed and extended before the start of Term 3.

“We will be advocating to the Government further on this matter to ensure kindergarten services can sustainably continue to deliver quality early childhood education and care in the safest possible way at this challenging time,” said Mr Worland.

For more information or to arrange an interview with ELAA CEO, David Worland, contact James Gardener 0413 483 182.

ENDS

ELAA is the national peak body for not-for-profit providers of early childhood education and care. Our vision is Excellence in Early Learning for Every Child. www.elaa.org.au

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