REMOTE towns in North-East Victoria remain without a childcare provider for next year.
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Mitta, Bellbridge, Kergunyah, Walwa and Baranduda are clinging to hope a provider will step forward with the federal government’s representative at a roundtable discussion in Wodonga yesterday, Craig Laundy, confirming funding is available in the wake of Albury-Wodonga Community College’s snap exit from the service.
Childcare centres close for the year on Friday with no guarantees yet they will re-open in mid-January.
Wodonga TAFE and Goodstart Early Learning have emerged as a potential providers in the absence of local government stepping forward even on an interim basis as has happened at Henty and Walla with Greater Hume Shire agreeing to fill the void for two years.
Henty and Walla childcares were also run by AWCC.
Indi MP Cathy McGowan said the first step was a “broker” being appointed to act on behalf of the five centres still in limbo.
Rural financial counselling service, Agbiz Assist, was represented at the roundtable by executive officer, Nerida Kerr.
“The department is prepared to do what needs doing, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done in the short term,” Ms McGowan said.
“It’s been a good meeting in opening up the issues, but we haven’t quite resolved it all yet.
“The urgency is there, the willingness is there, we just haven’t got over the final hump how we are going to do this.”
But Bellbridge parent Gennifer Hamam said anxiety levels were increasing as the end of the year drew closer.
“As parents the main concern we have coming out of the meeting is that we don’t know what is going to be happening and our childcare and kindergarten close this Friday,” she said.
“What do we do over Christmas? Just wait and see if it’s going to be viable for next year?
“Or do we just hope for the best?
“They are talking about how fast they need to do this, but we don’t have a solution today.”
Walwa Primary School council president Hayden Drummond also attended the roundtable and said his town’s centre was probably most at risk of the five in the North-East.
“Our entire area becomes non-viable if we don’t have these services,” he said.
“There will be no families left and no incentive for anyone to move to our area.
“If the childcare is taken away the school will fail, the hospital will fail.
“I’m very disappointed the government can’t find out what has gone wrong.
“If they’ve given the money why can’t they find out what has happened to it?
“But money doesn’t seem to be the issue. It is finding someone to provide the service.”
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