Quality early education and care is now more affordable for Australian families most in need.
Guardian Childcare CEO Warren Bright said the Federal Government’s new 3 Day Guarantee, which comes into effect today (January 5), was welcomed by both the sector and families.
“We applaud the Government taking action after many years of advocacy to lower the barriers to quality early learning and care,” Mr Bright said.
“This investment into the future of our children is welcomed across the sector,” he said.
Subsidised childcare
The Government says up to 100,000 families nationally will benefit immediately from the changes, which guarantees families access to three days of subsidised care each week.
Mr Bright said the move would help more children receive the benefits of quality early education and care.
He said low-income families would now be able access early learning for their children, with other families now also able to afford more days of care.
“The evidence is clear. Quality early education sets up a child for life and three days a week is the minimum a child needs to develop the skills they need to excel at school.
“At Guardian Childcare, we believe every child deserves the best start in life, and we’re so pleased this change will open the door to more quality learning opportunities for children across Australia.”
Childcare subsidy
From today, Childcare Subsidy (CCS) eligible families are now guaranteed at least 3 days of subsidised childcare each week, or 72 hours a fortnight, regardless of their activity levels, which was part of the previous eligibility criteria.
For example, if one partner’s activity level was between 8 and16 hours then, based on the previous rules, the family would only get 36 hours of subsidised care per fortnight.
Now they will receive 72 hours of subsidised childcare per fortnight, which can make a significant difference to the cost of early childhood education and care for parents.
And if a child is currently attending childcare 1 to 2 days per week, they could increase to 3 days of care per week and only pay the standard daily gap-fee.
The change will have an immediate impact, with Services Australia applying the changes directly to families’ current accounts with childcare providers from today.
Mr Bright said the changes meant many families paying childcare fees would be better off each year.
“Making early education and care more affordable and accessible is vital in ensuring a positive future for our children and supporting families, many of which are doing it tough at the moment.”
Visit your nearest Guardian Childcare centre for us to help explain how you can benefit from this change: locate a Guardian centre near you and book your tour today.
