Sessional kinders in Victoria to receive specialist COVID funding

Kindergartens across Victoria will receive special help to stay COVIDSafe thanks to a minimum funding guarantee announced yesterday by Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt.

Specifically for sessional kindergarten services delivering funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten for the first time this year, the decision means these services will have their minimum funding guarantee based on their 2021 four-year-old enrolments.

Services which are already delivering three-year-old programs will also be guaranteed funding of 80 per cent of the combined three- and four-year-old enrolments in 2021 under the announcement.

These measures have been put in place alongside an additional $7.4 million in COVIDSafe support for services to keep children and staff protected.

The COVIDSafe measures will help all services delivering a funded kindergarten program in 2022 to meet any additional costs associated with helping to reduce the spread of the virus for the first half of the year.

The payments will provide $946 per term to services with 49 or fewer kindergarten enrolments, and $1,576 per term to services with 50 or more kindergarten enrolments in for Terms 1 and 2.

“We know our youngest children are still unable to be vaccinated against coronavirus – so we’re supporting every kinder service across Victoria to invest in measures to keep children and staff safe,” Minister Stitt said. 

To view the announcement in full please see here.