Last week, the federal government announced that child care services will become “fee-free for families” during the coronavirus crisis.
Announced as part of their economic response to the pandemic, the government provided the immediate financial relief in response to the alarming rate of families un-enrolling their children from child care.
For child care services, it means they will receive a ‘business continuity payment’ equivalent to 50 per cent of their pre-pandemic fee revenue.
Listen: Dr Norman Swan on three ways Australian quarantine might end. Post continues after audio.
Early Childhood Australia supported the scheme, with CEO Samantha Page saying the announcement “tackles most of the big issues that services and families have been grappling with over the past month”.
However, it seems early childhood educators aren’t actually that pleased with the package. Why?
Mamamia spoke to three early childhood educators* about their thoughts on the new package. Here’s what they had to say.
“I often cry on my way to work.”
When the free child care scheme was announced, the educators I work with were mostly upset and angry. It made us feel more undervalued than we already did, which is really saying something.
As time goes on we have realised that the scheme is probably our only chance to stay viable through this pandemic. But the impact on educators is huge. We have no access to personal protective equipment and zero chance of distancing from the very young children we care for. I often cry on my way to work because I feel so overwhelmed. I have a family I am worried about and I’m honestly terrified about the repercussions if COVID-19 is in the centre.
We are apparently frontline workers now, but if that’s true, why aren’t we being protected more? Why can children who don’t need to be here still come? Why are we doing all this for less than, sometimes a lot less than, $30 an hour? We don’t understand and feel like we are being sacrificed for the economy.
Watch: A clinical and health psychologist helps break down how you can help your children if they’re suffering with anxiety during the pandemic. Post continues after video.
“It doesn’t minimise the financial loss.”
The special child care package doesn’t minimise the financial loss we are experiencing for our service. It is helpful and better than nothing, of course. However, it is not sustainable as we continue to take on extra enrollments for working families and children at risk. We are increasing our enrollments, but we are not being supplemented financially as the payment does not increase – it remains a base supplement no matter your daily numbers.
Top Comments
We’re all sacrificial at the moment. Some of us have had our financial stability sacrificed to protect other people’s health. And others are risking their health to keep the countries finances working. Then there are a lucky few who can work from home and keep being paid, as long as they homeschool a few children at the same time. Unfortunately no one got to choose which category they ended up in, so we all have to manage the best we can- complaining is really just a waste of energy.
But Scotty boy pulled his own kids outta school. Two sets rules for him. They are tucked up safe in The Lodge.
His kids go to school in NSW, so they’ve been following the directives Gladys has been giving. He’s actually applying the exact same set of rules to them as everyone else. They also live in the Shire, not at the lodge.