Alarm at kinder ratings
Federal standards failed
MORE than 500 childcare centres and kinders statewide aren’t meeting federal standards of care.
Child safety, staffing, supervision and management of emergencies are among problem areas.
It comes a decade after a new ratings system was brought in to ensure centres were up to scratch.
More than one in 10 of Victoria’s 4300 childcare centres, preschools and outside-school-hours centres are struggling to care for kids properly.
More than 80 centres were “working towards” standards on at least five of seven key quality indicators, including ensuring health and safety.
Some centres have failed standards for more than a decade but are still caring for hundreds of children — and charging up to $120 a day.
The “working towards” rating applies to 47 per cent of Victorian family daycare centres, 20 per cent of outside-school-hours care centres, 15 per cent of long daycare centres and 5 per cent of kinders.
But a number of centre operators have expressed frustration the ratings were done some years ago, saying they had worked hard to make improvements.
The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority — the federal rating agency — reported childcare breaches of standards continued to rise in relation to protection from harm, emergency evacuation procedures and the upkeep of centres.
Almost half of all approved children’s services nationwide reported at least one serious incident in 2019-20, the latest statistics available. Incidents involving injury, trauma or illness account for 80 per cent of serious incidents.
According to the latest federal data, more than 1000 Victorian centres have conditions on their operations.
These reflect concerns about management of bushfire risks, training of staff, soil contamination, access to outdoor space, supervision of children when toileting and placement of playground equipment.
Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority chief executive Gabrielle Sinclair said centres were required to have high standards before they could open.
She said all services should make ratings information available to parents.