Childcare cut concern

By Lia Bichel
CASEY council has thrown its support behind a local childcare program which is set to lose funding at the end of the year.
At last weeks Casey council meetings, councillors voted unanimously to write to the state and federal government requesting the reinstatement of funding for the Take a Break Occasional Care Program.
The Federal Government withdrew its funding for the Take a Break program in May last year, but the Labor state government stepped in and funded the program until June 30 this year.
The Baillieu Government continued funding until the end of December this year.
Managers of community centres across Casey said either fees will drastically increase or the service would be unable to continue – leaving some staff without jobs and parents scrambling to find alternative child care.
Merinda Park Community Centre manager Jan Gilchrist said as of January 2012, the centre would lose about $17,000 a year and may not afford to keep the service running or keep some members of staff employed.
Berwick Neighbourhood Centre manager Michelle Coburn said that her centre would lose more than $23,000 per year if there was no financial support from state or federal funding, affecting about 280 families who use the service as well as some of the staff.
Mayfield Ward councillor Amanda Stapledon moved the motion to write to the Federal Minister for Employment Participation and Child Care Kate Ellis and the State Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development Wendy Lovell.
She said the council should request reinstatement of funding for the Take a Break Occasional Care Program, “to avoid any detrimental impact to the development and social involvement of children and capacity for their parents to take a break, study or be involved in their other children’s activities”.
She also successfully moved that Casey council write to the ALGA and the MAV requesting that they lobby federal and state governments and local state and federal MPs to reinstate the funding for the Take a Break Occasional Child Care Program.
Cr Stapledon said the program provided a much needed break for parents, allows them to study and assists non-English speaking families as parents can attend English classes while their children are care for.
She said the program provided indoor and outdoor activities for children and assisted them in their development, socialisation and emotional resilience.
“The impact of this service no longer being available will result in the loss of all these benefits and will further isolate parents that include single parents and non-English speaking families,” Cr Stapledon said.
“This will impact 200 plus families in the ward of Mayfield alone and will also have a negative impact on employees at community centres both in Mayfield and throughout Victoria resulting in childcare workers losing their jobs.”
Edrington Ward councillor Judy Owen said she thought the program was vital to the community.
“If the fees go up for this service, it will become unaffordable for many families.
“Many families are already struggling on things like their mortgage, if fees go up -it could just tip them over the edge,” she said.
Cr Owen said Casey council worked “exceptionally hard” to keep rates low and affordable, and thought it was important the council continue to lobby for residents and important services in the community, such as the Take a Break Program.
Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development Wendy Lovell said the “Victorian government cannot be expected to fund areas of Federal government responsibility such as childcare”.
Ms Lovell said she wrote to federal Child Care Minister Kate Ellis earlier this year, asking the Gillard government to reinstate funding for the program.
“In the meantime the department will work with the sector to establish what alternatives are available,” Ms Ellis said.