16 JunELAA welcomes more support for sessional kindergartens
ELAA has been engaged in active advocacy with the Department of Education and Training around the additional costs incurred by kindergartens including casual relief teaching and administration costs due to COVID-19.
We are thrilled to see DET provide one-off sessional support payments to kindergartens delivering sessional programs as advised directly to services early this week. In case you missed it, details from DET are below.
Sessional support payments
- A one-off support payment is being provided to kindergarten providers delivering sessional programs in recognition of the current financial pressures. We know this is a challenging time and acknowledge your ongoing commitment and professionalism, including to continuing to plan for 2023 delivery of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten. The payments are based on a tiered approach to provide more funding to eligible services in lower socio-economic areas:
o $6,600 per sessional service in a SEIFA Decile 1-3 area
o $4,600 per sessional service in a SEIFA Decile 4-6 area, and
o $2,600 per sessional service in a SEIFA Decile 7-10 area.
- This funding can be used towards current kindergarten operational costs as well as for planning purposes, including for Three-Year-Old Kindergarten in 2023. These payments have been processed through the Kindergarten Information Management System and eligible service providers should receive these payments in the coming week.
