Council Minutes - Section C: Notice of Motion

Notices of Motion tabled at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 24 March 2015 which was held at Portarlington Cricket and Football Club in 4-46 Province Boulevard, Highton.

Notice of Motion – Cr Kylie Fisher

The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is urging all Victorian Councils to join their campaign to ensure that the Commonwealth Government includes a continued investment of at least $100 million per annum to Victoria to sustain 15 hours of kindergarten for children in the year before school.

In November 2008, through the Council of Australian Government (COAG), all Australian Governments committed to the implementation of universal access to early childhood education as a means of improving outcomes for young children through participation in universal preschool education.

The National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education (UAECE), provided a commitment to ensure access to a quality early childhood education program for all children in the year before formal schooling, delivered by a university trained early childhood teacher, for 15 hours a week, over 40 weeks a year.

Council, in partnership with local kindergarten staff, Committees of Management, and Kindergarten Cluster Management organisations have worked tirelessly from 2008 until implementation in January 2013 to deliver on this very important Universal Access to Early Childhood Education policy initiative.

Of the 50 kindergartens operating across Geelong all except one service were able to successfully implement 15 hours of kindergarten on or before January 2013 and have continued to operate accordingly.

Council has also invested $30M in children’ services infrastructure to meet the additional demands and service requirements to ensure that Council owned kindergarten buildings have sufficient capacity to adequately accommodate additional program hours and the needs of the local population.

As part of the existing National Partnership Agreement the Victorian Government funds 10 hours of kindergarten and the Federal Government funds the additional five hours.

However, the current National Partnership Agreement is set to expire at the end of this year (2015), putting the additional hours in doubt for more than 70,000 Victorian children (including over 2,870 four year old children enrolled in kindergarten across Greater Geelong). A commitment to provide further funding certainty is urgently required to ensure all children can continue to access high-quality, affordable early education and care.

Without continued funding, local kindergarten programs hours would be either have to be reduced back to 10 hours per week, or parents would be required to meet significant fee increases to cover the additional costs.

The research evidence is clear that 15 hours of kindergarten promotes children’s learning and development and contributes to longer term economic benefits to the community.

The recent report from the Australian Productivity Commission Inquiry into Childcare and Early Childhood Learning acknowledges that 15 hours of kindergarten is essential to boosting preschool participation, supporting children’s development and improving school readiness, and recommends the Federal Government continue to provide funding.

Cr Fisher moved, Cr Farrell seconded -

That Council:

write to the Prime Minister; the Hon Christopher Pyne, Minister for Education; and the Hon Scott Morrison, Minister for Social Services, including local Federal and State Members of Parliament, seeking confirmation that they will support the continuation of funding towards the provision of 15 hours of kindergarten education;
seek a meeting with Federal Members of Parliament to raise Council’s concerns about the current uncertainty of future funding of 15 hours of kindergarten education.

Carried.

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Council Minutes - Section C: Notice of Motion - 24 March 2015

Notice of Motion – Cr Kylie Fisher