THE federal government has confirmed the snap closure of seven childcare centres in rural areas in the Albury-Wodonga region is an isolated case.
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AWCC cited the July 1 transition to a new childcare subsidy funding model system in addition to anticipated lower attendance at some venues as the reasons to exit.
But the federal education and training department has confirmed the situation is not replicated across the country where similar operations exist.
“There is no example where an early child care provider receiving community child care grant funding to support services in multiple communities has exited in the same way and for the same reasons as Albury-Wodonga Community College,” a department spokesperson said.
“Another six early child care providers were similarly funded to receive more than $1 million as a combination of grant funding and child care subsidies in 2018-19.
“All of these providers are still operating.”
AWCC chief executive Rod Wangman said he was told at a meeting in mid-November with department staff there were other organisations “struggling” with the funding formula change.
“While I don’t know of specific organisations with the same circumstances, I can say that in a conference call I had with four departmental staff on November, they indicated to myself and my financial manager that there were some other organisations like us, struggling,” he said.
“I also note that representatives of the National Association of Mobile Services have also advised me that a number of their members have also found great difficulties in achieving ongoing, viable service delivery.”
Member for Farrer Sussan Ley, who will be present at one of the roundtable talks at Henty, said the government was “committed” to ensuring service providers would actually be better off under new child care arrangements.
“The Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) provides for reasonable operating costs over and above any child care subsidy and fee income a provider receives,” Ms Ley said.
“Within the CCCF there are three funding streams all of which have the potential to provide significantly more funding than past arrangements.
“Albury-Wodonga Community College has received $1.3 million in Commonwealth funding for the last six years, and while they have done a great job delivering remote care, our parents need greater certainty and we need providers prepared to work with the government on local solutions.”
The Kergunyah Childcare Action Group is asking for immediate action on Monday.
“There are at least six children and their families directly disadvantaged by this closure, and potentially many more within the Kergunyah, Gundowring and Dederang communities,” the group states.
“We desperately need certainty about the future of this service going into Christmas.
“We have highly proficient staff who are willing to work under the auspice of a new provider or under the Indigo Shire, if they were allocated emergency funding to continue to operate the Kergunyah service.
“As an action group, we are unaware of how government funding was managed within the AWCC organisation.
“A representative from the Victorian Education Department has assured us that they are happy to fast track the licencing process to any new provider willing to take on our facility.”
Mr Wangman said: “I would hope there can be some immediate commitment at the meeting to support each rural location to their own particular situations.
“They are all different but each fundamentally needs to find or create an approved provider who will receive 100 per cent of true operating costs allowing for fluctuations to attendance, even when locations may have very low numbers, and to ensure sufficient staffing ratios and backfill staff are covered.
“Lastly, the commitment needs to consider funding contracts greater than one year at a time.”
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