Full list: Victorian childcare centres failing to meet key quality standards revealed

More than 170 Victorian childcare providers are at risk of losing federal funding after failing to meet key quality standards. See which centres made the list.

More than 170 Victorian childcare providers failing to meet key quality standards risk losing federal funding following a threat issued by the national education minister.

The list includes centres caring for thousands of children in many Melbourne suburbs, including Pascoe Vale, Beaumaris East, Reservoir, Craigieburn and Cheltenham, along with rural areas such as Truganina, Kinglake, Horsham and Swan Hill.

The failing operators are dominated by private for-profit centres, including 90 that are not meeting all-important standards in child safety.

Three Victorian family day care services rated as needing “significant improvement” are particularly vulnerable to Mr Clare’s threat. This means there is a “significant risk to the safety, health and wellbeing of children”.

These three are Play House Family Day Care in Preston, Omega Family Day Care in Dandenong North and Maria Montessori Preschool and Early Learning in Thomastown.

Some services have been rated as “working towards” national standards for more than five years, despite repeated assurances the ratings system has lifted quality over time.

The list also includes an over-representation of family day care centres and outside school hours care centres operating at schools.

Failing centres could lose their federal funding. Photo: iStock

Education Minister Jason Clare restated his strong words on Friday, vowing to “cut off funding to centres that aren’t up to scratch”.

“This is the big weapon that the Australian Government has to wield here, and I will introduce these laws when parliament comes back this month,” he said.

The legislation, set to be introduced later this month, will stop repeat offenders who fail to meet minimum standards and breach national laws, cut off childcare subsidy funds from those with consistent breaches and strengthen entry powers for officers to perform surprise spot checks.

Federal opposition education spokesman Jonno Duniam said the Coalition is “supportive of changes that would result in increased child safety and protection in childcare centres”.

“Where particular childcare centres are not meeting national quality ratings, then it is absolutely appropriate that they are subject to more stringent requirements and heavier penalties,” he said.

United Workers Union director of early education Carolyn Smith said any moves by the federal government to “rid the early learning sector of dodgy operators” made “perfect sense”.

More than 170 Victorian childcare providers are failing to meet key quality standards. Photo: iStock

A spokeswoman for peak early childhood group Early Learning Association Australia said “calls for robust and consistent approaches to safeguarding children across the country” were welcomed.

“Changes should be implemented at a national level to ensure all children, no matter where they live, are protected and their safety is the utmost priority,” she said.

Australian Childcare Alliance president Paul Mondo said more regular compliance visits were needed and called for at least one unannounced visit every 12 months.

“Australian childcare services aspire to and often live up to high standards but those that consistently fall short of community, regulatory and family expectations must be held to account,” he said.

The latest quality snapshot from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Agency (ACECQA) shows Victoria has the lowest per cent of childcare services which have not undergone a quality rating – 88 per cent.

Originally published as Full list: Victorian childcare centres failing to meet key quality standards revealed