Tuesday, 16 August 2022

 Ms STITT (Western Metropolitan—Minister for Workplace Safety, Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep) (12:00): 2023 will be a landmark year for kindergarten in Victoria, with the introduction of free kinder as a permanent feature of our early learning system. With so many families struggling with the cost of living, we want to give them one less thing to worry about. We know the difference this will make.

In 2021 when we offered free kinder we saw participation rates lift. Families who had previously not shown up for kinder were bringing their kids along for the first time. This is what free kinder is all about. It is about making early learning a reality for as many children in our state as possible, and with both three- and four-year-old kinder being free it is about delivering two years of quality kinder to set kids up for success. With average kinder fees in the state being at around $1900 per year for standalone kinders, it means our funding of $2500 per child in standalone kinder on top of all the usual government funding will deliver a boost in revenue for many services. Centres like Gembrook Preschool will generate an extra $54 000, and director Kim Busacca explained that they will use this funding for more resources for children, for staff professional development, to help remodel their kinder and maybe even to employ a part-time manager. Kim said it was a very welcome announcement in a local community that has done it tough during COVID.

Last week the guidelines for opting into kinder were published, and from late August services will have an opportunity to sign up to the offer, with a strong uptake in 2021 of 98 per cent of services, and I expect another positive response from the sector. We will invest $270 million next year to deliver this important reform, and it is all part of our $9 billion Best Start, Best Life reform package to transform the lives of Victorian children.