MT BEAUTY Primary School's Outside School Hours Care service has received a welcome reprieve after intervention from Independent MP for Indi Helen Haines. Dr Haines said the service was one of two in the Indi electorate provided a lifeline, receiving approval for special circumstances funding for 12 months. However, she said another four services at Moyhu, Greta, Rutherglen and Yackandandah face imminent risk of closure, and are awaiting news of their emergency applications. Dr Haines met in person with the Minister for Early Childhood Education and worked with her office and the services seeking an interim solution, after all six local services failed to receive ongoing funding under the Community Child Care Fund, during the latest competitive grant allocation process. “Many of these services in Indi are based in small communities and support hundreds of families that need before or after-school care in order to work,” she said. “Not only does it make the logistics of these families’ lives harder, but it also puts the long-term sustainability of these smaller schools, part of the fabric of our small towns, in jeopardy.” Dr Haines said she was meeting again with the Minister for Early Childhood Education to push for changes to the funding model, saying a competitive process did not reflect the essential nature of childcare services. Her work on Outside School Hours Care funding is part of a larger advocacy piece to improve accessibility of childcare for regional communities. “Early childhood education and care is foundational to the development of children and a key component of the support that families need,” Dr Haines said. The Parenthood recently released their report, Impactful which includes stories from across regional communities, including families in Indi. The report finds the absence of accessible and affordable early childhood education services in the regions has far-reaching consequences for regional, rural and remote communities, including exacerbating cost-of-living pressures. To see the full report, visit https://www.theparenthood.org.au/impactful.
