Daycare centres feeling the bite
THE state’s childcare centres remain open, but the sector says the flow-on effects from the coronavirus crisis are already starting to hit.
On Wednesday, the State Government announced school holidays would be brought forward amid moves to implement online delivery of education in term two.
And while those restrictions do not apply to childcare centres, the sector is already suffering the impact of reduced business.
Early Childhood Australia Tasmania branch president Ros Cornish said the industry is being guided by public health directives in terms of centres staying open.
“There are almost 300 services in Tasmania and every single one of them would be feeling the pinch,’’ she said.
“The reports from our members is that there has been a 40 per cent to 60 per cent downturn in usual numbers and that will increase.
“If half the number of children are coming in and there’s half the number of fees, we can’t sustain our workforce for long at that capacity.”
On Wednesday, the Federal
Government announced young children would be allowed an extra 20 absent days before their parents lose government subsidies on childcare fees.
The Government made the move in recognition many parents are keeping their children home as part of social distancing measures.
Families can now have a total of 62 unexplained absences for this financial year, and won’t have to produce medical evidence if a child is absent for coronavirus-related reasons.
There are 68 business days left in the financial year.
If centres are forced to close because of a virus outbreak or wider shutdowns they won’t have to charge parents for those days, but the Government will continue to pay fee subsidies.
“The current expert medical advice is that the childcare sector remains open except where individual services have been directed to close by health authorities,” Education Minister Dan Tehan said.
“The health and safety of all Australians is our number one priority, and that includes the 1.3 million children in childcare, and 200,000 staff working in the childcare sector.”
In Tasmania, Ms Cornish said it was up to individual childcare providers to decide if they waived or discounted the gap fee usually payable by parents given the current circumstances.
“It depends on how [the centres] are situated financially and in terms of their viability,’’ she said.
“But the reality is if parents haven’t got jobs they aren’t going to be able to pay anyway.”