ELAA welcomes preschool funding agreement between Vic and Commonwealth

The Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA) has welcomed the announcement of the signing of the preschool funding agreement between Victoria and the Commonwealth.

The new four-year funding agreement, which provides up to $514 million in Commonwealth funding from 2022 to 2025, will benefit up to 330,000 Victorian children in four-year-old Kindergarten.

“It’s great that the Victorian and Commonwealth government are ensuring every child gets access to kindergarten,” ELAA CEO David Worland said. “Access to early childhood education sets children up for a life of learning.” 

“ELAA and our members have advocated for ongoing funding for kindergarten over many years,” he added.

“Secure funding means that kindergartens can hire staff and strategically plan over a reasonable timeframe. We were thrilled to see ongoing funding announced in the budget and pleased to see the final sign off on the agreement.”

The signing of the funding agreement will enable confirmation of kindergarten funding rates, so kindergartens can set or confirm their fees for 2022 knowing how much funding they will receive.

“We look forward to supporting our kinders as we close out another busy year in the Early Childhood Education and Care sector. Our hope is, with certainty of Commonwealth funding, kinder funding rates will be available at a much earlier point next year,” Mr Worland said in closing. 

Further coverage of the funding announcement may be found here.