Download the full C&K Annual Report 2011

Parent Advisory Groups Forum
I was honoured to again be elected Chair of the Parent Advisory Groups (PAG) Forum and represent
C&K branch services on the C&K Board. Robert McRuvie and Adam Elmore were elected as Deputy
Chairs for the year 2011.
The Forum met on a monthly basis with the aim to both
inform and be informed about issues facing our Branch
services and their PAGs. We held information sessions on
topics such as IT, marketing and grants. This year the Forum
focused on two major issues facing kindergartens:
1. Universal funding for Universal Kindergarten Access; and
2. Funding for kindergarten children with special needs.
Under the Federal Government’s commitment to Universal
Access the aim is to provide access to an early childhood
education program for all children, in the year before full-time
schooling. Since Universal Access, long day care centres and
kindergartens can now offer comparable, government funded
educational programs. The two are hardly treated as equal
however, when seen from the cost point of view of families.
The Federal Government defines kindergartens as
“Registered Care” which results in families being ineligible
to apply for the Childcare Benefit (CCB) or Childcare Tax
Rebate (CCR) for out of pocket expenses. Conversely a
family sending their child to a long day care service, defined
as “Approved Care”, which offers an equivalent kindergarten
program are eligible for these government payments. This
is not an equitable, universal application of funding for
Universal Access.
Barrie Elvish and I met on this point with the Federal Minister
for Education. It was disappointing to receive little Federal
Government support on this issue and the current funding
models will continue to place significant financial pressure
on families choosing to send their children to not for profit
community kindergartens.
For Universal Access to be truly universal, kindergarten
programs must be universally affordable and government
benefits must be fairly and equitably applied.
Special Needs funding was discussed by Barrie Elvish,
other Board members and I during meetings with Federal
and State Ministers throughout the year. Thank you also to
Robert McRuvie for his work in regards to this issue. The
State Government announced an increase of $500,000
to special needs funding last year, providing a total of $1.1
million. This amount however, still only represents 51% of
applications for special needs funding being met. There is
still a significant amount of work to go in this regard.
Thank you to Robyn Hine and Trudy Brook at C&K for their
invaluable assistance, support and advice throughout 2011.
Laurel Zaicek
Chair
C&K Parent Advisory Groups Forum representative
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