THE Member for New England Barnaby Joyce has welcomed funding totalling more the $1 million granted to 26 long day care services across the New England Electorate.

 

Mr Joyce said the child care educators in New England Electorate are among more than 50,000 long day care educators across Australia set to benefit from a $200 million Federal Government investment in professional development.

 

He said the Abbott Government’s Long Day Care Professional Development Programme will directly support 26 long day care services in the New England Electorate to help with the cost of training and upskilling their educators.

 

 “This includes specific support for early childhood teachers and regional, rural and remote services to address respective skill shortages,” Mr Joyce said.

 

“I’m delighted our local child care operators have embraced this programme, which was set up to ensure a fairer go after the previous Labor fund would have seen 70 per cent of long day care educators miss out.

 

“We want to help as many long day care services as possible deliver high-quality education and care for local families by ensuring they can afford to train and educate staff up to the new national child care standards,” Mr Joyce said.

 

Included in the list of funding announcements were eight Armidale centres including

Armidale Montessori Pre-school, $15,080.41;

Galloway Children’s Centre, $24,128.66;

Hobbit Preschool and Child Care Centre, $19,299.44

Kurrawatha Avenue Early Learning Centre, $48,015.41;

Little Bear Child Care Cottage, $20,593.92;

TG’s Child Care – Armidale, $58,600.03;

Tiny Town CCC – Armidale, $37,592.06; and,

Yarm Gwanga Child Care Centre, $34,589.06.

 

Nine centres in Tamworth will receive grants as well. They include:

Centrepoint Child Care Centre, $13,445.96;

Community Kids Tamworth Early Education Centre, $27,947.15;

Denison Street Early Learning Centre, $40,337.91;

Milestones Early Learning Centre [CBD], $59,811.26;

Milestones Early Learning Centre [OXV], $49,884.35;

NurtureOne Tamworth Children’s Centre, $23,252.59;

Poppins Playhouse, $49, 521.27;

St Marks Preschool & Long Day Centre, $25,837.19; and,

Janelle Street Centre, $50,931.25.

 

Other centres in the electorate receiving funds include:

Premier Early Learning Centre, Glen Innes, $68,811.57;

Winanga-Li Early Learning and Care Service, Gunnedah, $43,061.97;

Guyra Preschool and Long Day Care Centre, $48,335.77;

Catherine Campbell Long Day Care Centre, Inverell, $64,226.85;

George Street Children’s Centre, Inverell, $83,144.93;

Quirindi Eastside Child Care Centre, $49,220.53;

Tenterfield Child Care Centre, $39, 592.61;

TG’s Child Care, Uralla, $15,734.19; and,

Billabong Kids Central, Westdale, $35,970.70.

 

This funding is now available until June 2017 to support long day care services and educators’ training costs related to National Quality Framework requirements.

 

Further information is available at www.education.gov.au/ldcpdp