Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has called for greater funding certainty for regional childcare services as Heyfield’s only childcare provider faces an uncertain future after missing out under Round 5 of the Community Child Care Fund.
Mr Chester recently visited Kids House and met with Heyfield Community Resource Centre Manager Caroline Trevorrow to discuss the financial pressures facing the community-run service and the need for sustainable, long-term support.
Kids House has operated in Heyfield for more than 20 years and currently supports more than 30 local families while employing five qualified educators.
“Childcare is an essential community service that allows parents to work, study and participate in community life,” Mr Chester said.
“In a regional town like Heyfield, families don’t have a long list of alternative providers if their local service disappears.
“Kids House is the only childcare service in town, and losing it would have an immediate impact on local families, employers and the broader community.
“This is exactly why small regional childcare services need greater certainty about their future.”
Kids House has relied on the Community Child Care Fund since 2017 to remain financially viable.
The Heyfield Community Resource Centre applied for $270,000 over three years under Round 5 of the fund to support staff wages, but its application was unsuccessful.
Without replacement funding, the centre has warned Kids House is no longer financially viable.
The result follows a similar outcome for Paynesville Child Care in East Gippsland, which also missed out under Round 5 despite relying on Commonwealth support to remain financially viable.
Mr Chester said having two Gippsland community-run services facing funding uncertainty highlighted the challenges of delivering childcare in regional communities.
“These services face the same staffing requirements, regulatory obligations and fixed operating costs as larger providers, but they don’t have the scale or financial buffers available in bigger markets,” Mr Chester said.
“Kids House is dealing with rising compliance costs, fluctuating enrolments and a younger mix of children requiring higher staffing ratios, all while trying to keep fees affordable for local families.”
“Caroline and the team are doing everything they can to keep providing a service families clearly value, but funding insecurity is another challenge on top of an already mounting list.
“They need enough certainty to plan ahead, retain qualified educators and reassure families that this important local service has a sustainable future.
“If parents can’t access childcare, they may be forced to reduce their working hours, leave employment altogether or travel significant distances every day.
“That has flow-on impacts for local hospitals, businesses, farms and other employers which are already competing for workers.”
A Senate Committee on Education and Employment is currently examining the state of early childhood education and care in rural, regional and remote communities, including service gaps, workforce shortages, the effectiveness of the Child Care Subsidy and existing Commonwealth programs.
Pictured: Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester during his visit to Kids House at the Heyfield Community Resource Centre.
