Wyndham kindergartens feeling the squeeze amid population boom, with waitlists growing
Wyndham has the most preschoolers in the state and local kinders are feeling the squeeze, with 165 kids now on council waitlists. Here are the suburbs where families face the longest wait times.
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Scores of parents in Wyndham are struggling to get their children into kindergarten due to ballooning waitlists and a shortfall of centres.
The area has the highest number of kinder-aged children in the state, according to the latest Census data, with 21,381 children aged 0-4.
And for the families that do get their kids into kinder, a looming end to Federal kinder subsidies mean they could also be up to $2000 per child worse off every year.
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There are currently 165 children on the waiting list for a place at one of the 23 Wyndham Council-run kindergartens, with Point Cook, Truganina and Tarneit the most under pressure.
And getting your enrolment in ahead of the pack won’t necessarily guarantee your child a place.
According to the council’s website, places are allocated using a “points-based system” designed to promote fair and equitable access to kinder programs, and support disadvantaged families.
With the municipality’s population tipped to reach 489,379 by 2041, it is estimated an extra 28 preschools will be needed to accommodate the boom.
In 2017 the council was forced to use portable classrooms at centres in Tarneit North and Wyndham Vale to ensure enough kindergarten places were available for every four-year-old child.
It comes as the council ramps up it’s I Love Kinder campaign aimed at securing ongoing Federal Government funding ahead of this year’s Federal Election.
Current federal subsidies of five hours per week for four-year-old kinder are due to expire in December, meaning families could be $2000 per child worse off next year.
Mayor Mia Shaw said cutting funding to kinders could have serious repercussions for families.
“In Wyndham alone we have more than 3100 kids currently enrolled in kinder (but) if the Federal Government does not fund their education on an ongoing basis then their families could be stuck paying an extra $2000 out of their own pockets just to fill the gaps,” she said.
The I Love Kinder campaign aims to encourage other councils, families, parents and teachers to add their voice to the cause, calling on the Federal Government to “have a heart” and continue subsidising preschool.
Lalor federal Labor MP Joanne Ryan said the opposition would continue funding four-year-old programs as part of it’s $386 million National Preschool and Kindy Program.
The program also includes subsidising 15 hours of three-year-old kinder a week from 2021.
“As a former teacher and principal, I understand that early childhood education is imperative in setting up a future of learning for our kids,” Ms Ryan said.
Wyndham’s city life director Jenny McMahon said the council worked in partnership with the state government to deliver preschool infrastructure.
“When planning for the construction of new community centres, we often incorporate into our designs spaces to deliver kindergarten services,” she said.
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