A Melbourne council will shut down dozens of kindergartens while another municipality is considering closing its kinder facilities due to cost pressures linked to the state government’s free kinder program.
Knox City Council is pulling out of providing kindergartens in a move that will impact 120 staff and 1100 children.
Knox Mayor Marcia Timmers-Leitch said the free kinder policy was a factor in the council’s decision to end the services. Mayor Steve Holland said the council was obligated to allocate funds in its budget equitably to benefit the whole community, including facilities for seniors, sporting groups and community groups.
But some providers have already been overwhelmed with interest, leaving parents at risk of being turned away as kindergartens reach capacity and forcing some centres toreported in September last year that some of Victoria’s most expensive community not-for-profit kindergartens were yet to sign up for the free kinder program because they feared it would send them broke.
“The state government simply released a thought bubble in the context of the election,” he said. “We have learnt that none of the important planning was done.” “I am absolutely devastated,” Roy said. “Long day care does not suit me or my child or my family. The waiting list to get into long day care is huge, and I would be paying more money than council-run kinder.”
Meredith Peace, Victorian branch president of the Australian Education Union, accused the council of walking away from the provision of essential kinder services despite overwhelming community demand. Peace said the council was not elected with a mandate to withdraw from providing kindergarten services.
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