Joint Media Release with The Hon Maxine Morand MP, Victorian Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development
The Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care, Maxine McKew, and the Victorian Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development, Maxine Morand, today announced that a new Early Learning and Care Centre (ELCC) will be established in Moe, Victoria.
The $3.9 million centre will be located in Vale Street, Moe adjacent to the South Street Primary School and will offer 55 new long day care and 30 new kindergarten places.
“This Centre will be a high quality early learning facility for the children of Moe and their parents,” said Ms McKew.
“The first five years of life are so important in giving a child the best possible chance for success in life.”
“When built, centres like this one in Moe will work to ensure that children start school as happy and confident learners, something childhood education experts have identified as a key to educational and social development.”
The Centre is part of the Rudd Government’s $114.5 million commitment to have Early Learning and Care centres operating in priority areas across Australia by the end of 2010.
The Rudd Government has committed $1.6 million in funding to the Moe centre. The Victorian Government is contributing $500,000 and Latrobe City Council is providing $1.8 million.
Ms Morand said the construction of the centre marked a new co-operative approach for the benefit of Victorian families.
“The Brumby and Rudd Governments are taking action and investing in early years services which provide families with a comprehensive range of services,’’ Ms Morand said.
Ms Morand said the new centre in Moe will provide the local community with child care, kindergarten, out of school hours care, playgroup, early childhood intervention, maternal and child health, family counselling, community space and a toy library, all aimed at giving Moe’s children the best possible start in life.
“Its location near the local primary school also means it easier for children make the smooth transition to school.”
On Monday Ms McKew announced arrangements for nine Early Learning and Child Care Centres in New South Wales.
“We are steadily working our way through arrangements for the remaining centres across the country,” said Ms Kew.
The Rudd Government is investing $12.8 billion over the next four years to help Australian families with the cost of child care. This includes:
- $8.4 billion over four years to reduce child care fees to deliver the Child Care Benefit (CCB)
- $4.4 billion over four years to help working families meet higher costs of living by increasing the Child Care Tax Rebate (CCTR) from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of out-of-pocket costs to a maximum of $7 778 from July 1. The rebate can be paid quarterly and is not means tested.
- $970 million over five years to provide all Australian children access to 15 hours a week of early learning programs for 40-weeks a year in the year before formal schooling;
- $126.6 million over four years in fee relief for at least 8000 TAFE students per year, additional university places for early childhood teachers (starting with 500 places in 2009 and rising to 1500 additional places by 2011) and significant reductions in the HECS-HELP debt of early childhood teachers working in regional and remote areas, Indigenous communities and areas of high disadvantage.
The Moe centre is the 23rd priority centre for which arrangements have been announced by the Rudd Government.
For more information about early childhood education and child care, visit www.mychild.gov.au