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Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme

Introduction of the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme
Real funding guarantee
What is an approved kindergarten program?
Kindergarten Funding Calculator
Publishing your fees

Introduction of the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme

The Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme was announced in October 2009 and makes Government funding available to a range of services that provide kindergarten programs. These services include community kindergartens, kindergartens operated by non-state schools and long day care services that provide an approved kindergarten program.

This kindergarten funding scheme is an important component of the Queensland Government's plan to provide all children with access to high quality early education in their early years.

The key feature of the scheme is that approved kindergarten program providers receive a standard subsidy per eligible child enrolled. Further subsidies are available for services in remote and lower socio-economic areas, as a percentage of the standard subsidy, to help attract and retain teachers and to ensure that cost is not a barrier to families accessing the program.

Under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, funding is made available to the kindergarten service provider, rather than families, and is designed to assist services to offset the cost of implementing and operating a kindergarten program.

The scheme was first introduced in long day care services in early 2010.

More than 780 long day care services have been approved to deliver kindergarten programs, creating an extra 21,500 funded kindergarten places.

The standard subsidy rates available to long day care and kindergarten services for each child participating in a kindergarten program are indexed annually and effective from 1 July to 30 June each year. The main reason for a different rate applying to kindergarten and long day care services is that families with children attending long day care services can access Australian Government childcare benefits and rebates that reduce the out-of-pocket costs for eligible parents.

For a service to be eligible to receive kindergarten funding, children must be at least 4 years of age by 30 June in the year they participate in a kindergarten program.

The funding allocation provided to long day care services and central governing bodies is based on the four subsidies in the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme.

Kindergarten services receiving the real funding guarantee should contact their central governing body for funding details.

Standard per Child Subsidy	The subsidy for kindergarten providers not eligible to receive the Australian Government Child Care Benefit payment on behalf of eligible families is $2350.00 per child per annum. The subsidy for kindergarten providers eligible to receive Australian Government CCB payments on behalf of eligible families is $1386.00 per child per annum.
Remote ARIA Subsidy	This is a per child loading of 50% of the standard subsidy rate for services in remote and very remote locations as determined by the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) developed by the Australian Government's Department of Health and Aged Care (DHAC)*. This subsidy provides additional support for services to attract and retain qualified teachers.
Low Socio-Economic Subsidy	For kindergarten services, this is a per child loading of 45% ($1057.50) of the standard subsidy rate for services operating in locations within the bottom 20% of Statistical Local Areas (SLA) as identified using the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA)** (SEIFA 1 and 2 areas) and a per child loading of 30% ($705) of the standard subsidy rate for services operating in locations within the next bottom 20% of SLAs as identified using the SEIFA (SEIFA 3 and 4 areas). For long day care services this is a per child loading of 25% ($346.50) of the standard subsidy rate for services operating in locations within the bottom 20% of SLAs as identified using the SEIFA (SEIFA 1 and 2 areas). This subsidy is to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for parents.
Health Care Card Subsidy	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. The Health Care Card subsidy is worth up to $2600.00* per child per year to families accessing a kindergarten service. The subsidy is worth up to $1042.00* per child per year for families accessing a kindergarten program at a long day care service. The subsidy is provided directly to services to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for eligible parents. Please note: 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 ***.
* For more information on the ARIA measure For more information on the SEIFA * The Health Care Card subsidy amount is adjusted to take account of the Low Socio-Economic subsidy entitlement at each service - see examples. The subsidy payment rates are effective from 1 January 2012 and are indexed annually on 1 July. The rates are increased in line with projections published each year in the mid-year Fiscal and Economic Statement. This level of indexation is based on a composite of 75% of the forecast Wage Price Index and 25% of the forecast Consumer Price Index. The indexation rate to apply from 1 July 2012 is 3.75%.

Standard per Child Subsidy

The subsidy for kindergarten providers not eligible to receive the Australian Government Child Care Benefit payment on behalf of eligible families is $2350.00 per child per annum.

The subsidy for kindergarten providers eligible to receive Australian Government CCB payments on behalf of eligible families is $1386.00 per child per annum.

Remote ARIA Subsidy

This is a per child loading of 50% of the standard subsidy rate for services in remote and very remote locations as determined by the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) developed by the Australian Government's Department of Health and Aged Care (DHAC)*.

This subsidy provides additional support for services to attract and retain qualified teachers.

Low Socio-Economic Subsidy

For kindergarten services, this is a per child loading of 45% ($1057.50) of the standard subsidy rate for services operating in locations within the bottom 20% of Statistical Local Areas (SLA) as identified using the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA)** (SEIFA 1 and 2 areas) and a per child loading of 30% ($705) of the standard subsidy rate for services operating in locations within the next bottom 20% of SLAs as identified using the SEIFA (SEIFA 3 and 4 areas).

For long day care services this is a per child loading of 25% ($346.50) of the standard subsidy rate for services operating in locations within the bottom 20% of SLAs as identified using the SEIFA (SEIFA 1 and 2 areas).

This subsidy is to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for parents.

Health Care Card Subsidy

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.

The Health Care Card subsidy is worth up to $2600.00*** per child per year to families accessing a kindergarten service.

The subsidy is worth up to $1042.00*** per child per year for families accessing a kindergarten program at a long day care service.

The subsidy is provided directly to services to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for eligible parents.

Please note: 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 ***.

* For more information on the ARIA measure

** For more information on the SEIFA

*** The Health Care Card subsidy amount is adjusted to take account of the Low Socio-Economic subsidy entitlement at each service - see examples.

The subsidy payment rates are effective from 1 January 2012 and are indexed annually on 1 July. The rates are increased in line with projections published each year in the mid-year Fiscal and Economic Statement. This level of indexation is based on a composite of 75% of the forecast Wage Price Index and 25% of the forecast Consumer Price Index.

The indexation rate to apply from 1 July 2012 is 3.75%.

Real funding guarantee

The Queensland Government recognises the more than one hundred year tradition of community kindergarten services in Queensland and is committed to ensuring these services continue to play a key role in providing quality early childhood education programs for Queensland children.

Many existing community kindergarten services are eligible for more funding under the new scheme and are known as legacy services.

To provide certainty for services, the Queensland Government has guaranteed that the minimum level of funding assistance for legacy community kindergarten services in 2011 and beyond, will be based on the salary levels of the service's teaching staff in December 2010 (which included the 4% increase from July 2010). Indexation will also apply from July 2011 and will be based on Consumer Price Index and Wage Price Index as determined by Queensland Treasury. The indexation applicable 1 July 2011 is 3.75 percent.

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 new funding scheme.

To support legacy services make the transition to the requirements of the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme, the Queensland Government has also confirmed a number of transition arrangements.

What is an approved kindergarten program?

There is a range of criteria that approval of a service as a kindergarten program provider is assessed against. These are:

holds a current Queensland Licence for a Centre Based Child Care Service, under the Queensland Child Care Act 2002
holds an appropriate public liability insurance of at least $10 million
offers a learning program that:
- is provided for children in the year prior to Prep (i.e. who are at least 4 years old by 30 June in the year they participate in an approved kindergarten program) for at least 15 hours per week and 40 weeks per year
- is aligned with the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline
- is delivered by:
  - a four year qualified early childhood education teacher, who holds an early childhood qualification(s) that meets the requirements of the Child Care Act 2002 and sections 113 [(a) to (c)] or 114 of the Child Care Regulation 2003 which can be viewed on the approved qualifications page or
  - a QCT registered teacher with an approved early childhood qualification(s) that meets the requirements of sections 113 [(a) to (c)] or 114 of the Child Care Regulation 2003 which can be viewed on the approved qualifications page or
  - a primary teacher who holds full registration with the QCT who is studying towards an approved early childhood qualification(s) that meets the requirements of sections 113 [(a) to (c)] or 114 of the Child Care Regulation 2003.
demonstrates that the fee structure is not a barrier to access.

Kindergarten Funding Calculator

Services can generate an estimate of the funding they may receive under the Queensland Kindergarten Funding Scheme using the Kindergarten Funding Calculator.

To determine if your service is eligible for a remote or low socio-economic subsidy, the calculator takes into account the ARIA and SEIFA codes of each kindergarten program provider. Please note the amounts generated are an estimate only and are not a guarantee of funding.

The amounts generated reflect current subsidy levels and these subsidy levels are indexed annually in July.

Publishing your fees

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

The Department of Education and Training's Funded Kindergarten Program Statement of Fees template forms are to be used by kindergarten services and long day care services to publish their fees.

Displaying and publishing fees helps parents to make an informed decision when choosing a kindergarten program for their child.

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This page was last reviewed on 21 Mar 2012