More regional schools will soon establish outside school hours care services, to further facilitate workforce participation while ensuring our children are cared for, thanks to the Victorian Government.

Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle today announced that Canadian Lead Primary School will be among 53 across the state to share in more than $4.1 million in 2021 to establish a new outside school hours care service from Term 3 this year.

These schools will receive up to $75,000 per year over the next four years for their outside school hours care service. The funding will help establish new services, and provide support for costs including resources or equipment, setup and administration, facility upgrades, small service viability and transport.

The number of schools providing access to outside school hours care services will increase by 22 per cent in regional Victoria and 2 per cent in Melbourne, with an overall increase of nearly 8 per cent.

41 out of the 53 schools funded to provide new outside hours care service were regional schools.

This is the first round of grants to be awarded under the $81.6 million initiative announced in the Victorian Budget 2020/21 to establish up to 400 new outside school hours care services at government schools.

There will be another three application rounds between this year and 2023.

The Labor Government is building the Education State so that every student can access a great local school and get a great education.

Quotes attributable to Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle

“This first round of grants will see a 22 per cent increase in the number of schools providing outside school hours care in regional Victoria. We are helping parents and carers to get back to work, study, training or re-enter the workforce as part of Victoria’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.”

“Regional Victoria has been the big winner out of this initiative, by expanding the number of schools providing out of hours care more parents can return to work, increase their hours or look to study options.”

“This investment will go a long way to making the daily juggle of work, school and kinder just that little bit easier.”

“This benefits all of regional Victoria with Goulburn seeing an increase in the provision of out of hours school care of 13%, Mallee 40%, Inner Gippsland 47%, Outer Gippsland 100%, Central Highlands 20% and Wimmera South West a 87% increase.”

Quotes attributable to Canadian Lead Principal Sue Knight

“This is the most amazing opportunity for our school. Building the case for outside school hours care for a school like ours is difficult. It’s almost a chicken and egg situation, parents can’t return to work or study to create demand for the service until the service is in place.”

“The Victorian Government is underwriting the service for four years so parents can now take on work or study with as the service is there, thus building demand the program to be sustainable long-term.”

List of regional schools to receive funding to start out of hours school care by term three 2021:

* These schools are Catholic primary schools who will be partnered with by the successful school, but they will not receive additional funding as they are not eligible.

** Additional cluster schools in the High SFoE band