*refers to services in receipt of Queensland Government funding as at December 2010 under Department of Education Kindergarten Assistance Scheme (DECKAS)
Extra kindergarten services are being established in areas of need, which have been identified by taking into account existing long day care and other child care services. The establishment of these extra services is not meant to displace children from one service to another, but to provide for the early education needs of a local area given the available supply and demand data.
For 2011, the Queensland Government will provide a funding guarantee to all existing services previously funded under DECKAS at a rate no less than what was received in 2010 with indexation provided in July 2011.
The funding guarantee will be based on the salary levels of the service's current teaching staff in December 2010 (which includes the 4 per cent increase from July 2010). Indexation applied in July 2011 will be based on a composite of the Consumer Price Index and Wage Price Index as determined by Queensland Treasury.
To ensure a real funding guarantee is provided for community kindergarten services, annual indexation will continue to apply until January 2014. From then, funding will continue at that level until the service is eligible for an increased level of funding under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme. These services are referred to as "legacy-funded services".
Where a service believes they may have difficulty meeting the transition requirements, they need to work with their central governing body to discuss unique circumstances and produce an action plan, undertake community consultation, and show they are making best efforts to meet the transition arrangements and progress towards achieving them.
The Queensland Government is committed to ensuring access for all children to a quality kindergarten program in the year prior to Prep.
As per arrangements previously under DECKAS, Government funding is provided to support services to offer kindergarten programs to children who are at least 4 years old by 30 June in the year they start kindergarten.
To meet the requirements of the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme and continue to be eligible for the real funding guarantee, legacy-funded services are to implement strategies to maximise enrolments of kindy-age children. These strategies may include:
Where a service has difficulty attracting enrolments of kindy-age children, they are to work with their central governing body to show they are making their best efforts to maximise enrolments of four-year-olds and their plan for meeting this requirement over time.
It is acknowledged that in some areas, due to population and demographic characteristics, there are insufficient numbers of kindy-aged children to fill a kindergarten program. To ensure services in these areas can provide a viable program for the maximum number of four-year-olds, legacy-funded services can fill residual vacancies with three-year-old children and remain eligible for the real funding guarantee.
The Queensland Government recognises that in some communities, particularly in regional areas, due to population and demographic characteristics, there are insufficient numbers of kindy-age children to fill a kindergarten program.
To ensure services in these areas can provide a viable program for the maximum number of four-year-olds, legacy-funded services can fill residual vacancies with three-year-old children and remain eligible for the real funding guarantee.
Where a service has difficulty attracting enrolments of kindy-age children, they are to work with their central governing body, to show they are making their best efforts to maximise enrolments of four-year-olds and their plan for meeting this requirement over time.
Your service is strongly encouraged to deliver a kindergarten program for at least 15 hours per week for 40 weeks per year, in line with the national commitment 
to provide an early education program of this duration for all Australian children.
All new programs will need to be delivered for this duration, be recognised as approved kindergarten program providers, and be funded under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme.
It is understood some legacy-funded services require time to meet this requirement, and transition arrangements have been put in place to help services. Under these arrangements legacy-funded services can deliver a kindergarten program for a minimum of at least 13 hours and 45 minutes per week, for 40 weeks per year in 2011, moving to 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year in 2012. New services funded under the QKFS must deliver according to those requirements.
Further consideration has been given to the needs of small part-time kindergarten services operating in regional communities. In 2011, services can offer a program for at least 11 hours per week, 40 weeks per year or maintain existing hours (whichever is greater).
Where a service has difficulty delivering the required kindergarten program hours, they are to work with their central governing body, to show they are making their best efforts to move to 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year and their plan for meeting this requirement over time.
All services are now funded under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme (QKFS) which takes account of the services Socio-Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA) index and Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA). To provide certainty for legacy-funded services, the Queensland Government has committed that a base level of funding will be provided at no less than the level received by services at the end of 2010. These kindergarten services may be eligible for more funding under the new scheme, and no service will receive less funding. Notably, services are required to be meeting the transition arrangements for 2011 to qualify for funding above the real funding guarantee.
In addition, legacy-funded kindergarten 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.
Services receive the funds so they can reduce fees and cut out-of-pocket expenses for eligible parents. Further information about the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, including subsidy amounts, is available in the Kindergarten Funding Scheme section.
For 2011, the Queensland Government will provide a real funding guarantee to all legacy-funded services, including those approved as a long day care service, at a rate no less than what was received in 2010 with indexation provided in July 2011.
There is only a small number of long day care services across Queensland that received Queensland Government funding under DECKAS to provide kindergarten programs.
Eligible families attending long day care services can claim Australian Government payments including Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate to reduce their out-of-pocket fees. However, these Australian Government payments are not available to families whose children attend community kindergarten services.
Long day care services that received DECKAS funding in 2010 will continue to receive State Government funding in 2011. However, for 2012 and beyond, these services will be funded according to the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme based on their service type. Services that operate as a kindergarten service from 2012 onwards (that is, are not eligible to receive Child Care Benefit on behalf of eligible families) will be eligible for the real funding guarantee with indexation applying to January 2014.
Staff from the Department are working with services in this situation, and their central governing bodies, regarding changes and action required and will continue to discuss individual issues and plans on a case-by-case basis.
This page was last reviewed on 28 Mar 2012 at 03:52PM
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Access keys |
Other languages
© The State of Queensland (Department of Education, Training and Employment) 2011.
