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ELAA calls for shake up of funding and hours as new CCS rules come into effect
Freya Lucas
Jul 12, 2023
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Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA) has called for “a shake up of funding and hours” as new Child Care Subsidy (CCS) changes come into force, seeking greater equity for those living in childcare deserts (as defined in a 2022 Victoria University report).
Acknowledging the complexity of creating a universal system of early childhood education and care, ELAA’s acting CEO Megan O’Connell said that “achieving this essential goal is a large and complex policy undertaking” but that there is “one thing that could get the ball rolling now on tackling the problem of ‘childcare deserts’, especially in Australia’s rural and regional areas”. A shakeup of funding and hours, she believes, could be key to unlocking access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) and ensuring all families can benefit from the recent changes to the CCS. “With the Productivity Commission Inquiry into ECEC currently reviewing submissions and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Interim Report into Childcare Pricing out, we have a real chance to make a difference for those families and their children who live in areas where getting the best start through early learning currently isn’t an option,” Ms O’Connell said. Providers of kindergarten or preschool programs currently cannot access CCS for those programs, she explained, noting “it’s only available for the long day care component of their services if they provide long day care too. By adjusting the Child Care Subsidy to fund extended care outside of kindergarten or preschool programs, we could see over 3000 services become available in a relatively short space of time.” This, she continued, would create far more options for regional and rural families. “Suddenly, attending kindergarten would become logistically and financially viable, meaning more regional and rural children could benefit from ECEC and more parents would be able to devote full days to taking on more employment.” “At a recent roundtable, I heard from farmers who travel an hour and a half each way to drop a child off at kinder. This isn’t feasible if sessions are only five or seven hours long, so children miss out,” she continued. Families, particularly in rural areas who have limited access to service, have been calling for this expansion in access for some time, citing the difference it would make to their cost of living. “If CCS covered extended care this would mean an added $900 added back into our annual household budget. It would mean that it would increase our food budget or perhaps go towards the kinder child accessing an extracurricular activity like swimming lessons,” explained Ameila, a parent with a child in a rural kindergarten. “There is an enormous evidence base proving that access to quality ECEC is one of the best ways to increase equity, and we know at the moment children in rural and remote areas are less likely to get access, and more likely to start school behind. A change to funding could bring these services to more children. This must be our priority,” Ms O’Connell added. To learn more about how Australia can fast-track the process to a quality-driven and equitable ECEC system, read ELAA’s full submission to the Productivity Commission.
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