Grant funding announced to attract ECEC professionals to regional WA

Freya Lucas

Jan 23, 2024

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The West Australian Government has announced grants of up to $25,000 to support the demand for regional early childhood education and care (ECEC) professionals.

The Attraction and Retention Packages for Regional Child Care Workers Program grants can be used to fund incentives such as subsidised accommodation, relocation costs and further training.

"Regional areas face unique challenges in building their early childhood education and care workforce and the Cook Government's Attraction and Retention Program supports local solutions to local challenges,” Early Childhood Education Minister Sabine Winton said.

The WA Government committed $1,000,000 over four years in 2021 to support the attraction and retention of ECEC workers in regional areas. Two rounds of funding have now been delivered, with a total of $530,869 distributed to regional local government areas (LGAs) to support the provision of early childhood education and care.

Initiatives delivered under Round 2 funding include support for accommodation and relocation subsidies for educators, professional development for existing staff and contributing to course costs for new trainees.

A review of the Grant Program in the lead up to Round 3 gave LGAs the opportunity to provide feedback on the initiative. Some changes were made to the Grant Program, including a greater focus on supporting family day care.

Round 3 of the Grant Program will open on Monday, 22 January 2024 and close on Friday, 1 March 2024.

A webinar to support potential applicants will be held on Monday, 29 January 2024 at 11am.

For more information, contact grants@communities.wa.gov.au or visit Department of Communities Grants Programs (www.wa.gov.au).

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