Vic Government announces incentives for Regional Kinder teachers with $510,000 boost

The Victorian Government is offering financial incentives to attract more early childhood teachers to regional areas as the rollout of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten continues in 2021, with Victorian Minister for Early Childhood Education Ingrid Stitt this morning announcing an additional $510,000 to boost early childhood incentives and to achieve parity, with incentives to attract “hard-to-staff” positions.

Incentives for successful applicants will range between $9,000 and $50,000, with the funding going directly to current early childhood teachers who take jobs 100 kilometres or more from their current place of residence, or who are making a switch from a teaching career in primary schools.

A once-off $3,000 relocation payment will also be available to teachers who move 200 kilometres or more away from their current home.

“These grants provide financial support for teachers to relocate their lives to teach children starting their learning journey,” Ms Stitt said, outlining the need for high quality teachers in all areas, and expressing her hope that the incentives “will ensure regional areas get and keep the teachers they need”.

The measures will support the roll out of Three-Year-Old Kindergarten to families in a further 15 regional areas in 2021, including Alpine, Ararat, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Colac-Otway, Corangamite, East Gippsland, Glenelg, Hepburn, Indigo, Loddon, Murrindindi, Southern Grampians, Towong, and West Wimmera.

In addition to these incentives, support will be provided to the 2021 services in most need of teachers, to assist with their recruitment, a release from Ms Stitt’s office noted. 

The move to offer Universal Access for all three year old children in Victoria is expected to create 6,000 new early childhood jobs including approximately 4,000 bachelor-qualified teachers and 2,000 VET-qualified educators required to meet demand.

As a result, The Victorian Government is investing $92.4 million in the early childhood workforce towards supporting, training and recruiting the teachers and educators needed.

The first early childhood teacher incentives were launched in 2019 to encourage early childhood teachers to take up vacant positions in those services first delivering Three-Year-Old Kindergarten in 2020 roll-out areas.

Further information will soon be available on the Victorian Department of Education and Training website, here.