Childcare fund could increase costs

Childcare centre operators in Bunbury have raised concerns about a Federal Government grant for the industry because it could lead to a division in the sector and higher prices for parents.

Staff at a number of centres wore white shirts yesterday and circulated letters to staff and parents asking them to join a campaign against the format of the Early Years Quality Fund.

The $300 million fund was announced in March to boost the quality of early childhood education and implement a National Quality Framework which requires centres to employ staff with higher education qualifications by 2014.

But Australian Childcare Alliance president Gwynn Bridge, in a letter to members, said the alliance was “devastated” the grant would mean huge wage increases to a minority of the sector based on a first in, first served basis.

In a letter being distributed to parents by some Bunbury centres, Ms Bridge said the grant — which would supplement the wages of up to 40 per cent of all long-day care centre educators — would lead to increase costs for all parents.

Milligan House Child Care Centre director Samantha Peacock said the uncertainty about whether the grant would continue past an initial two-year period meant costs could increase by $11 a day if the grant ended.

Riverlinks Child Care Centre coordinator Sonya Farrugia said the fund would make it even harder for centres to retain staff if they missed out on funding.

“We have concerns it is going to divide the industry and create more problems,” she said.

She said the centre had already received supportive messages from parents after circulating the ACA letter, but urged people to write to Early Childhood and Youth Minister Peter Garrett and Early Childhood and Child Care Minister Kate Ellis to voice their concerns.