Consultation to Shape Future of Early Years Services
Mildura Rural City Council has started consulting with local families, educators and the broader community to explore a potential transition out of direct delivery of early years education services in the future.
These services have been provided by Mildura Rural City Council since the late 1970s through Mildura Family Day Care and Playalong Early Learning Centre.
General Manager Healthy Communities Mark Jenkins said while these services have been delivered successfully for decades, the early years education landscape had changed drastically during this time.
"Firstly, I want to stress there will be no immediate changes to any of the early years services we provide," Mr Jenkins said.
"This is very much about two-way communication. It's about presenting local families, our educators and the broader community with an update on the challenges facing our early years services and listening to their feedback and thoughts on what the future could look like."
Mr Jenkins said one of the biggest shifts in the sector since Council initially started providing these services almost 50 years ago was demand and the sheer number of providers.
"We've gone from being one of the only providers of childcare services in our region to a market where there are more and more operators.
"This has led to a steady decline in demand for our early years services as well as challenges recruiting enough educators and staff due to workforce shortages. There has also been growing financial pressure to keep these services running.
"This certainly isn't an overnight problem that has just occurred. It's a trend that has been steadily evolving, and not just in our region - it's a trend being seen across the local government sector.
"Like other local government areas, we've been wrestling with these challenges for several years and we're now at the point where we've exhausted every option.
"Ultimately, we need to consider the safest, most reliable way for local families to access quality childcare in the future, which is why we're looking at the role we could play in this space."
Council contacted all Playalong Early Learning Centre and Mildura Family Day Care families, staff and educators this week, providing an update and inviting them to participate in a series of upcoming consultation sessions and surveys to provide their thoughts.
This feedback will be considered ahead of a report presented to Councillors next month.
Mr Jenkins reiterated there would be no immediate changes to any of the current early years services provided by Council.
"If, after this consultation process, it is determined there are changes to the services we provide, any transition would take place over several months, with clear communication and plenty of notice for families, staff and educators," he said.
https://www.mildura.vic.gov.au/Latest-News/Consultation-to-determine-future-direction-of-early-years-services
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