$50k incentives offered to kinder and primary school teachers moving to regional areas
Incentives of up to $50,000 will be available to kindergarten and primary school teachers moving more than 100kms to teach kinder in the Colac Otway and Corangamite shires.
Geelong
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INCENTIVES of up to $50,000 will be available to kindergarten and primary school teachers moving more than 100kms to teach kinder in the Colac Otway and Corangamite shires.
But maximum incentives, also available in other regional areas, will only be made available to teachers who stay in the job for three years.
While those who move more than 200kms to fill kindergarten teaching vacancies in the Colac-Otway and Corangamite shires, and other regional areas, will also be eligible for a one-off $3,000 relocation payment.
Under the program — running alongside the $5 billion roll out of five hours of subsidised three-year-old kinder statewide by 2022 — kinder or primary teachers wanting to move to Greater Geelong, Surf Coast or Golden Plains council areas will have to wait until 2022 to be eligible for incentives.
Director at Millville Child Care Centre in Colac, Cathy Thompson, said the number of children in kindergarten at her centre would double to 90 next year.
“It will be 15 hours (of subsidised three-year-old kindergarten) in the Colac-Otway Shire next year. You are looking at an enormous increase in needed kindergarten teachers (across the board.)”
Ms Thompson said the Millville Child Care Centre would need two extra kindergarten teachers next year.
“If every services needs one to two more, that’s a lot (of teachers needed). In the past it has been difficult to get teachers.
“We know how important those first five years of a child’s life are. To have two years (of kindergarten) before school will set children up for success.”
Early Childhood Education Minister Ingrid Stitt said the incentives would attract high-quality teachers.
“Regional areas need high-quality teachers and education as we deliver three-year-old-kindergarten – these incentives will ensure regional areas get and keep the teachers they need,” Ms Stitt said.
“These grants provide financial support for teachers to relocate their lives to teach children starting their learning journey.”
Maximum subsidies will be handed to teachers who work at kindergartens judged to have “historical staffing pressures” and “educational disadvantage” by the state government.
On Tuesday, Minister Stitt said the teacher relocation program would get an additional $510,000.
Lower-level incentives available under the program include $4,000 at sign-on, $2000 after six months and $1000 per year for three years.
While at the higher level the government will pay $10,000 at sign-on, $10,000 after
six months, and $10,000 per year for three years.
Next year subsidised three-year-old kindergarten will roll out to families in the Alpine, Ararat, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Colac-Otway, Corangamite, East Gippsland, Glenelg, Hepburn, Indigo, Loddon, Murrindindi, Southern Grampians, Towong, and West Wimmera council areas.
Three-year-olds in the Buloke, Hindmarsh, Northern Grampians, South Gippsland, Strathbogie and Yarriambiack government areas are able to access up to 15 hours of subsidies kindergarten each week this year.
Originally published as $50k incentives offered to kinder and primary school teachers moving to regional areas