Kindergartens to Receive Higher Funding While Other ECE Centres Miss Out
NEWS – 20 May 2011
Kindergarten funding rates are set to rise, while comparable increases for other early childhood education and care centres have been halted.
The Ministry of Education has confirmed that Budget 2011 provides for higher funding rates for kindergartens only which are operated by Free Kindergarten Associations – rates that, for the first time in many years, will exceed those for all other education and care centres.
This marks a significant shift from the long‑standing approach in which funding for all education and care centres (kindergartens included) reflected increased costs of teacher salary salaries and conditions.
| Funding Rates from 1 July 2011 | Kindergartens run by Free Kindergarten Associations | All other Kindergartens and Teacher-led Centres |
| 20 Hours ECE maximum all-day rate | $11.40 (per hour per child all-day rate) | $11.25 (per hour per child all-day rate) |
| 20 Hours ECE maximum sessional/part-day rates | $7.70 (per hour per child sessional rate) | $6.20 (per hour per child sessional rate) |
| Non-20 hours ECE subsidy (up to 30 hours) maximum all-day rate over 2-year-old child | $6.73 (per hour per child all-day rate) | $6.60 (per hour per child all-day rate) |
| Non-20 hours ECE subsidy maximum sessional/part-day rates over 2-year-old child | $6.43 (per hour per child sessional rate) | $4.81 (per hour per child sessional rate) |
| Under 2-year-olds all-day rate maximum | $12.09 (per hour per child all-day rate under 2-year-old) | $11.93 (per hour per child all-day rate for under 2yr old) |
