Wyndham’s preschools and kindergartens could be forced to reduce hours or increase fees from next year unless the federal government ends uncertainty over funding, Lalor MP Joanne Ryan claims.
Ms Ryan said almost $3 million could be slashed from the city’s preschools and kindergartens next year if the government failed to commit to the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood, which is due to expire at the end of 2015.
Under the agreement, the state government funds 10 hours of kindergarten per child per week and the federal government funds an additional five hours.
Visiting College Road Kindergarten at Werribee last week with federal Opposition families and payments spokeswoman Jenny Macklin, Ms Ryan called for a commitment in next month’s federal budget.
She said since the universal access program was introduced by the former Labor government in 2009, the proportion of Australia’s children receiving 15 hours or more of kindergarten or pre-school each week had risen from 23 to 82 per cent.
“College Road Kindergarten is a fantastic example of the important work of local kindergartens in providing the best start possible for young children,” Ms Ryan said.
A review by the Productivity Commission recommended the federal government continue funding preschools and kindergartens.
The federal government has yet to respond to this review.
