Funding

Kindergarten and long day care services that meet the eligibility criteria of the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme are eligible to apply for government funding to deliver an approved kindergarten program.

The eligibility requirements for long day care services are outlined in the Information Paper .

Approved kindergarten program providers can access a standard subsidy for each eligible kindy-aged child participating in their kindergarten program. Additional subsidies are available for services in low socio-economic communities and remote areas. All services no matter where they are located can claim the Health Care Card subsidy if a family, including foster carers, or a kindy-aged child presents their current Health Care Card or Australian Government Pension Concession card with automatic Health Care Card entitlements or formal communication such as a letter from the relevant agency stating the intent to issue a Health Care Card. The Health Care Card should be presented and a copy kept by the service. Families with multiple births of three or more kindy-aged children are also eligible for the same reduced kindy costs as Health Care Card holders. Proof of date of birth for these children is required to access the subsidy. Further information about the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, including subsidy amounts, is available in the Kindergarten Funding Scheme section.

To provide legacy community kindergarten services previously in receipt of government funding with time to meet the eligibility criteria, the Queensland Government has provided certainty by guaranteeing these services will receive a minimum level of funding equal to their rate of funding in 2010, plus indexation until January 2014 (and recurrent at that level afterwards).

The Australian Government provides parents of children attending long day care services with subsidies to offset the out-of-pocket costs of care. These subsidies - the Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR) - will be unaffected by the introduction of kindergarten programs in long day care services. Although the level of Queensland Government funding is different for long day care services and kindergarten services, the net out-of-pocket fees for parents should be comparable.

The Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme is based on the number of eligible-age children enrolled in a kindergarten program at a specific service. The previous funding model was based on a proportion of staff salaries. Also the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme provides additional subsidies for services in remote and low socio-economic areas. This establishes a more equitable distribution of funds that allows Government to ensure that children living in areas of greatest need can benefit from a quality early childhood education.

Kindergarten services can generate an estimate of the funding they will receive under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme using the Kindergarten Funding Calculator. Please note the amounts generated are an estimate only and are not a guarantee of funding. Also, amounts generated reflect current subsidy levels and these subsidy levels are indexed annually in July.

To assist legacy community kindergarten services making the transition to the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, the Queensland Government has committed that these services will receive no less Queensland Government funding at the point of transition to the new scheme in January 2011, than they received in 2010. As a minimum, this means that the level of funding assistance a service is eligible for in December 2010 will be maintained for the 2011 calendar year.

The payment rates are indexed annually on 1 July. The rates are indexed in line with a combination of the Queensland budget forecast wage/price index and the CPI.

All approved kindergarten service providers are required to display at their centre and publish online their fee information including structure and inclusions.

The Department of Education and Training has developed template Funded Kindergarten Program Statement of Fees forms for kindergarten services or long day care services to use.

Funding available under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme is to support the participation of children in one approved kindergarten program at a time, in the year prior to Prep.

Services that identify families enrolled in more than one program are to ask the parent to nominate the service they wish to access for their one funded kindergarten program.

If your service is not nominated by the parent, it can not include that child in its claim for funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme.

Should a service provider become aware that a child is attending another approved kindergarten program they are required to instigate remedial action by contacting the Department.

Kindergarten services are required to complete and submit to the Department of Education and Training a Disability Support Funding application form for consideration by an assessment panel.

Long day care services can access funding for children with a disability through the Australian Government's Inclusion and Professional Support Program.

Kindergarten services are able to apply for funding to support the participation of children with a diagnosed or suspected high level disability if they:

• are kindergarten age AND
• enrolled at a kindergarten service that is an approved kindergarten program provider or a legacy-funded service and is a member service of one of five organisations approved by DET as a central governing body organisation AND
• participating in an Education Queensland Early Childhood Development Program (ECDP) OR
• receiving support from an Advisory Visiting Teacher (AVT) OR
• if not participating in an ECDP or receiving AVT support, the family can provide evidence of a formal diagnosed or suspected high level disability in a recognised category from a recognised medical practitioner

For 2012, the application process for the Disability Support Funding Program will be closely aligned to the previous Non School Organisation funding program for kindergarten services with a second round available for late enrolments and late diagnosis. The DSF Program retains links to early education support services and programs and levels of funding based on the educational needs of the child. Key changes include expanding the program to include all kindergartens, simplifying the application form and an application closing date of 16 March 2012.

If a child enrols or receives a diagnosis of a disability after 12 March 2012, kindergarten services can submit applications for Disability Support Funding to the department by 27 July 2012.

Yes. If a child continues to be enrolled in the kindergarten program and the parent/family is meeting the service's prescribed fees, then the service continues to be eligible for funding for that place.

Services are required to provide information when requested about the actual hours of attendance in the program of individual children (that is, hours per day and hours per week that a child attends the program).

No. There is no change to funding arrangements due to public holidays.

A child needs to be enrolled in the kindergarten program for at least 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year with the parent/family meeting the service's prescribed fees, for the service to be eligible for funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme. Parents can choose to vary their child's pattern of attendance and provided they continue to meet their fee requirements for the kindergarten program, there would be no impact on the level of Queensland Government funding provided to the service.

Approved kindergarten program providers are encouraged to discuss strategies for maximising the child's attendance in the program and/or discuss other program options for the child, if appropriate.

Services may be required to provide information if requested, about the actual hours of attendance in the program of individual children (that is, hours per day and hours per week that a child attends the program).

Examples of what the funding can be used for include, but are not limited to, supplementation of the kindergarten teacher's salary or purchase of resources that will be used to support the delivery of the kindergarten program etc. Please refer to the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme Guidelines for Long Day Care Services 123k for further information regarding the individual subsidies.

Please Note: Services are required to apply the Health Care Card Subsidy in accordance with the specific requirements outlined in Section 9 of the Guidelines.

To qualify for funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, services are required to enrol eligible-age children in the kindergarten program for at least 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year with the parent/family meeting the service's prescribed fees. Occasional absences for illness and/or holidays is acceptable and do not effect a service's eligibility for funding.

The Queensland Government recognises some kindergarten program providers may have an enrolment policy that enables casual services to be provided. While a casual enrolment pattern does not meet the eligibility criteria for funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, there is no impediment to services having a policy of accepting casuals when vacancies exist and charging casual fees for this service. It is the responsibility of individual kindergarten services, supported by their central governing body, to determine enrolment and fee policies for country casual/shared position arrangements.

Importantly legacy-funded kindergarten services have a real funding guarantee from the Queensland Government. This guarantee assures legacy services of a base level of funding that is not affected should a service offer casual attendance or shared position options for children. However for these services to seek a higher level of funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, children attending the service need to meet the eligibility requirements and be enrolled for at least 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year with the parent/family meeting the service's prescribed fees in order for the service to be eligible for funding.

The Department has put in place a process to enable funding for services in this situation to be provided by the new central governing body.

As part of this process, the Department will confirm the service's change of membership with the new central governing body, including the date from which the membership changed. Once the change of membership is confirmed, the Department will contact the previous central governing body to confirm their understanding of the change. Services may be required to clarify the details of the membership change if agreement can not be reached between the two central governing bodies.

Once the membership change is confirmed, the Department will confirm the amount claimed by the service's former central governing body and then invoice the former central governing body for the agreed amount. The new central governing body can then either update their semester spreadsheet (where an invoice has yet to be raised) or issue an invoice to the Department for the agreed amount, with a supporting spreadsheet.

If a service provider is having difficulty achieving the National Quality Framework (NQF) physical environment or staffing standards, including employing a qualified early childhood teacher from 2014, they may be able to apply for a temporary or permanent waiver for those standards. The application process and criteria for these waivers are yet to be determined.

The requirements of the NQF are separate from the eligibility criteria for the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme (QKFS).

To be eligible for QKFS funding, approved kindergarten program providers offer an education program for children in the year before Prep that aligns with the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline, or an education program accredited by the Queensland Studies Authority, and is delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher for at least 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year.

Long day care and kindergarten services delivering an approved kindergarten program may engage educators with a minimum three year qualification that complies with the requirements of the relevant child care legislation for unplanned leave of up to 10 working days cumulative per annum if a qualified early childhood teacher cannot be recruited to relieve the kindergarten teacher.

For more information about who can deliver an approved kindergarten program please see the Kindergarten teachers FAQ.

Legacy-funded kindergarten services that have queries about teacher qualifications should refer to their central governing body in the first instance.