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New subsidies tot up
for kindergartens
Low or no-cost kindergarten education is to be available to many more Queensland families under a new subsidy initiative unveiled by the Premier, Anna Bligh.
Ms Bligh said the Government would allocate $23 million to the program which would increase subsidies for low income families to reduce the cost barrier to accessing kindergarten programs, including more than doubling the Health Care Card subsidy for those most in need.
“For 2012, the Health Care Card subsidy is increasing from $402 to $1,042 for families accessing kindergarten programs in long day care services and from $1,179 to up to $2,600 for families accessing a kindergarten service,” Ms Bligh said.
She said the funding boost would ensure cost was not a barrier to kindergarten participation and would help up to 13,000 more young Queenslanders enjoy kindy.
“Families with a Health Care Card will be able to access low or no-cost kindergarten programs in long day care and kindergarten services,” Ms Bligh said.
She said the government was committed to providing universal access to quality kindergarten services by 2014.
“We are already ahead of our target and this latest initiative will remove a hurdle to access that has been identified in recent research,” she said.
“The research showed that barriers to participating in a kindergarten program were often higher for the children who would benefit most.
“About 20 per cent of families are eligible for this Health Care Card Subsidy to reduce kindy costs.”
Ms Bligh said families with multiple births of three or more kindy-aged children were also eligible for the same reduced kindy costs as Health Care Card holders.
“For a family with triplets, this means kindy costs can be reduced by up to $7,800 a year at kindergarten services and by $3,126 a year at long day care services,” Ms Bligh said.
She said the target of increasing kindergarten participation for 2012 to 86 per cent, built on the Government’s goal of 65 per cent in 2011 and was up from 40 per cent participation in 2010.
Edition 201, 26 January 2012
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