By Tyler Wright
Yarra Ranges Council has welcomed the Victorian Government’s plan to make three and your year old kinder free across the state from next year.
On Thursday 16 June, the State Government announced the expansion of the ‘Best Start, Best Life’ program which will also see the establishment of 50 government operated childcare centres from 2025 and a new year of Pre-Prep for four year olds.
Yarra Ranges Council told the Star Mail it owns 41 Early Years Facilities including the Sherbrooke Family and Children’s Centre, but most child care or long day care services are undertaken by private providers.
“The management of the majority of the facilities are managed by Community Committees of Management or Early Years Managers, whom all provide outstanding kindergarten programs across the municipality,” Yarra Ranges Council’s Director of Communities Jane Price said.
This comes after analysis from Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute released in May found the federal electorate of Casey was a ‘childcare desert,’ with almost four children aged four and under vying for every childcare spot – but the Yarra Ranges Council Director of Communities said the council’s current population projections do not indicate a high demand for additional early years services.
“Further investigation may be required to gain a better understanding of the current supply and demand following the recent Victorian Government announcement,” Ms Price said.
Casey was also labelled the electorate with the lowest access to childcare Victoria-wide despite 5350 families using childcare services in the area.
In an interactive map produced by the Mitchell Institute, Mount Dandenong, Olinda, Sassafras, Ferny Creek, Monbulk and Silvan are all classified as childcare deserts after the research gathered information on how many centre-based childcare places were available across the country and where they were located.
The institute compared the supply to the potential demand, determining how many children live in each neighbourhood.
“The research clearly shows that the most access to childcare is found in wealthy electorates and electorates that cover the CBD areas of major cities. These are also the electorates with the highest childcare fees indicating that providers are attracted to areas where they can charge higher fees and parents have capacity to pay,” educational policy fellow at the Mitchell Institute Hannah Matthews told the Star Mail in May.
“From a child development perspective, access to high quality early learning assists the most disadvantaged children in catching up so they do not start school developmentally vulnerable. This is particularly important in Casey where one in five children start school behind,” Ms Matthews said.
Where possible, the 50 government-owned centres, first opening from 2025, will be co-located with schools to avoid the double-drop off, and alongside hospitals, TAFEs and major employers to create convenient access for working parents.
“Affordable and accessible childcare is vital to giving women more options – meaning they have more economic power and driving gender equality across every aspect of work and life,” VIctorian Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams said.
The centres will be located in areas with the greatest unmet demand and informed by the ‘childcare deserts’ work from the Mitchell Institute, but the Star Mail is yet to receive confirmation where, or if, the centres will be built in the Yarra Ranges.
You can find information on the Mitchell Institute research here: https://www.vu.edu.au/mitchell-institute/early-learning/childcare-deserts-oases-how-accessible-is-childcare-in-australia
