$1 million child care boost for Victoria

More than $1 million in Federal funding will provide an extra 1170 child care places for school-age children in Victoria, the Minister for Community Services Larry Anthony announced today.

The funding is part of the Federal Government’s support for school-age care and will be shared between 41 child care services across the state.

“Nineteen of these are new rural services which clearly demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment to regional Australia,” Mr Anthony said.

More than 42,000 Victorian children are currently enrolled in Commonwealth-funded vacation care and before and after-school care programs.

“This funding will allow working families, in areas where there is a high demand for increased child care services, greater access to quality after school hours care facilities.”

The services will receive about $466,500 in grants to assist with operation and establishment costs.

“Up to $1,099,660 in Childcare Assistance will be paid to eligible Victorian families using the new places,” Mr Anthony said.

“The Childcare Rebate will also assist families meet the costs of formal care.”

These programs are specifically designed for school-age children and include a range of educational and recreational activities including sport, craft and music, which take place in a supervised environment.

“The introduction of the Child Care Benefit will result in more families being able to access affordable, quality and accessible child care services,” Mr Anthony said.

“Through this funding the Federal Government has addressed the needs of working families and enabled them to have more choices when balancing the responsibilities of work and family.”

Families who need information about child are should call the Commonwealth Government’s National Child Care Hotline on 1800 670 305.