Childcare facilities in dark

GEELONG childcare operators face uncertainty over the continuation of the “free childcare” system.

The Federal Government is set to decide whether it will switch off its emergency feefree system by the end of June.

Corio MP Richard Marles said if the Government held off its announcement any longer, it would create further “unnecessary anxiety for families and centres in Geelong”.

The Government revealed its early childhood education and care relief package last month, with a possible extension to be considered after three months.

Under the package, it pays operators half their usual fee revenue up to hourly caps before COVID-19, plus JobKeeper wage subsidies, while parents do not have to pay fees.

But Education Minister Dan Tehan foreshadowed plans earlier this month to abandon the policy at the end of June and revert to the subsidy-per-child system.

Norlane’s Kids World Geelong owner Kieran Armstrong said the package had not been enough to save it, with the centre losing “hundreds of dollars a day”.

“We had up to 170 children, but that dropped to 70 in the space of two to three weeks,” Mr Armstrong said.

“Now coronavirus is becoming better controlled, and people return to work and are in need of childcare again, our numbers are back up to 155 children — but we’re only getting funding for about 85.”

He said he hoped the Government implemented some improvements at the end of June to enable providers to get through the impacts.

“We need clarity around what the plan is, so then we can prepare,” he said.