To ease the burden, the Morrison Government will invest $33 million so childcare services remain open for vulnerable families and permitted workers, while helping Victorian parents keep their child’s enrolment while they must keep their child at home.
KEY POINTS
- The Federal Government is asking Victorian childcare centres to give parents an extra 30 days of free absences.
- To encourage them, top-up funding will be provided.
- Only vulnerable children and those whose parents are “permitted workers” are allowed to attend child care in Victoria.
FOR SERVICES
- Waiving Gap Fees
- Services are encouraged by the Victorian government to waive gap fees for families accessing care.
- Services are under no legal obligation to waive gap fees but are encouraged to do so in order to support families who have no option but to place children in care during this time.
- Top Up Payments.
- Services that experience an attendance drop of more than 70 per cent in the next six weeks will get a top-up payment of between 10 and 25 per cent on what they receive in the existing transition scheme.
- On average services in Melbourne are expected to receive between 80 and 85 percent of their pre-pandemic revenue.
FOR PARENTS
- Applicability to receive a permit
- Single parents in permitted industries, even those who are working from home, will still be able to access childcare.
- Parents must be able to prove that they do not have another carer available to look after their child to be eligible.
- Parents must hold two permits
- In order to qualify for care, parents must provide their essential workers permit Found Here as well as a child care permit.
- Additional Absences
- Parents who are unable to send their children to childcare services over the next six weeks of lockdown will be given 30 extra days of allowable absences.
