Qld’s ‘free kindy’ program in crisis due to teacher shortage

A crippling educator shortage is putting pressure on the rollout of the state government’s flagship free kindy program less than three months before it is due to launch.

A crippling educator shortage is putting pressure on the rollout of the state government’s flagship $645m free kindy program less than three months before it is due to launch.

Education Minister Grace Grace admitted on Wednesday there could be “pockets” where finding kindy teachers would be difficult – but hosed down any suggestion the centrepiece of the government’s last budget was at risk of delay.

It comes as educators – both in child care and schools – said they were struggling to recruit staff, with experts warning low pay and poor working conditions were to blame.

“Obviously there will be pockets where we will need to employ more staff,” Ms Grace said. “But the government doesn’t employ them directly – we have 160 school-delivered kindies and we are adequately staffed for those. I don’t have the numbers from the private providers at the moment, but we will get those and we will see what we can do to assist them.”

There are fears “pockets” of Queensland will not be able to access the state government’s free kindy program due to a shortage of educators. Picture: File/iStock

The government announced free kindy would roll out statewide from January 1 next year – predicted to boost numbers by as many as 8000 extra kids.

Part of the package included $120m for attracting and recruiting staff, which Ms Grace said was “going a long way to assisting” the providers.

“I’m sure there will be pockets in Queensland, and they’re the ones we are prioritising and working with those centres to ensure that we’ve got the staff for them,” she said. “I don’t know whether we’re necessarily going to be short (of teachers) – I think there’s capacity.”

One centre director told The Courier-Mail the shortage of educators and a lack of graduates remained a big problem.

“Occasionally it feels like you can see light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s not really improving, there is no one left in the pool,” the director said. “We are also losing good people to the school system too, they’re haemorrhaging our staff.

“But we are different from schools and hampered more because of our staff-to-child ratios, which are unable to be flexible where schools can be. It’s a really challenging time.”

LNP education spokesman Christian Rowan said: “Free kindy can’t become another example of this government using a big announcement to ease political pressure but failing to deliver. Queensland is already facing a growing teacher shortage on the Palaszczuk government’s watch, with no plan to hire the extra teachers our schools need, let alone the teachers required for the expanded kindy program.”

Griffith University Professor Susie Garvis said poor conditions and low pay in early childhood teaching had been a problem for at least a decade.

“They hold a university qualification, but they are paid less than primary and secondary teachers,” she said.

Prof Garvis said she hoped the government would expand the program to two years – as it was in Victoria and NSW.