Working group formed to fix Lorne childcare shortage

A NEW working group has been formed to tackle the issue of creating better childcare services in Lorne.

The group, which contains representatives from Lorne families, caregivers, interested community members, Great Ocean Road Health and the Surf Coast Shire, has come together in response to the long-running shortage of childcare places in the coastal town.

After Lorne Community House was reduced to one part-time educator restricted to looking after a maximum of four children in early 2022, between 20 and 30 families were told they had no access to childcare in Lorne.

Families held several meetings since then to discuss what could be done, including local artist and business owner Anna McIldowie’s proposal in February to create the “Dial a Grandparent” and “Lorne Babysitters Club” as a stop-gap measure.

Surf Coast Shire general manager of community life Gail Gatt said the recently-formed working group would next meet after the school holidays.

She said the group was working together to address issues such as social isolation, especially for families and children; social interaction and connection for families and children; the ability for parents and caregivers, especially mothers, to return to the workforce while raising a family; and strengthening the Lorne and surrounding regional community.

Ms McIldowie welcomed the working group’s formation.

“We are not there yet, indeed we have only just begun, but progress is certainly being made and the stepping stones are in place for ensuring childcare is a top priority for Lorne going forward,” she said.

Ms Gatt said the shire had also proposed an additional session of unfunded kinder in Lorne for children aged three and above.

“An expression of interest was conducted, with two families accepting the offer and currently on a waitlist. This waitlist will remain open until more families express interest in the session, as more children turn three.”

Ms McIldowie said the grassroots advocacy was continuing in Lorne, and there were parallel efforts to create more secure and affordable housing.

“Our voices are being heard and there has been a big shift of consciousness in the town around how fundamental secure childcare is to the functioning and sustainability of the town and community.

“Friends of Lorne will also be holding an online community forum in coming months around housing solutions, looking at the Accomodating Lorne’s Future report [by the Committee for Lorne] and other regional and national housing projects that are working already, and most of all answering questions and opening up the conversation to the community – getting us on board to shape Lorne’s future.

“They have been researching this stuff for years but believe it will take the collective will of the community to turn theoretical solutions into reality.

“I, too, believe the only way things will change in Lorne is if grassroots people, those who are actually effected by these issues, are part of the conversations around housing and childcare.

“I have set up the Lorne Childcare and Housing Advocacy Network Facebook page as one way to elevate our voices and keep people in the loop as much as possible.”