Free sessional kinder extended

ALL kinder in Victoria will be free for Term 3 and children will be supported to learn from home through a relief package to support early childhood services through the pandemic just announced by the state government.
On Tuesday this week, South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman hailed the extension to the free sessional kinder support and a further $1.6 million in grants, which will be available via the Australian-first School Readiness Funding program for kindergartens to help deliver early childhood education to children learning at home.
“I welcome this additional funding, which will not only ensure that South Barwon kinders will get the financial support they need, but will also save local families money during this difficult time,” he said.
Kinders can use the extra funding to get access to a range of online programs with high-quality play-based learning activities for parents to do with their children at home.
This funding will be available to services in the Geelong region that are not yet receiving funding through the $160 million School Readiness Funding initiative and already able to get access to these supports.
Early childhood care and education services in regional and rural Victoria can continue to operate as normal under Stage 3 restrictions, with appropriate safety measures in place.
The state government will increase funding for sessional kinder services across regional and rural Victoria, meaning parents across the state will be able to send their children to kindergarten for free during Term 3. This is already the case for metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire.
Sessional kinders in regional and rural areas can also now get access to support for unfunded three-year-old kindergarten programs. The funding will be available for not-for-profit services, including community-based, local government and school providers that are offering sessional programs and are not already receiving JobKeeper payments.
The state government will also provide any funded kindergarten service directed to close due to a confirmed COVID-19 case with extra funding to undertake an infectious clean before reopening.