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Liberals To Provide Kindergarten Education For AllMost Gippsland parents will no longer have to pay kindergarten fees under a Liberal Government from 2007, Liberal Member for Gippsland Province Philip Davis said today. By news@gippsland - 15th June 2006 - Back to News The Liberal Party today announced a grant to kindergartens of $730 per four-year-old child for fees commencing in 2007.
Mr Davis said the Liberal Party recognised that pre-school learning was fundamental and integral to early childhood development.
He said this new initiative would mean all children will have access to kindergarten education, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, through the 70 kindergartens operating in Gippsland.
"This pre-school initiative will be funded through the re-allocation of Labor’s School Start Bonus," Mr Davis said.
"It will be paid directly to kindergartens which will make it fully accountable.
"This initiative builds on the strong commitment by generations of parents, kindergarten teachers and supporters.
"A Liberal government will also progressively transfer the supervision of kindergartens from the Department of Human Services to the Department of Education within the first term of a Liberal Government."
Key points of the Liberal kindergarten policy include:
- a grant of $730 per year to reduce fees for four-year-olds
- progressively transfer the supervision of kindergartens to the Department of Education within the first term of a Liberal Government
- create a $10.5 million capital fund for kindergarten maintenance over five years
- provide extra funding towards the cost of country kindergartens with fewer than 10 children
- provide an extra $500,000 per annum for administrative support for an expanded network of kindergarten clusters
- provide an additional $300,000 to Kindergarten Parents Victoria (KPV) to introduce a new collaborative service planning model across a network of early years providers including cluster managers, stand-alone kindergartens, childcare centres and children’s hubs
- work with Department of Education, kindergarten teachers, primary teachers and parent management committees to develop a set of protocols for the employment of kindergarten staff.
- provide for kindergartens to be included within the master planning of new greenfield primary school sites in Victoria in the future
"A Liberal Government is committed to ensuring all Victoria’s kindergarten children have an equal chance to begin their education," Mr Davis said.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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