Minister for Children Joy Burch has announced new grants to help child care centres meet new nationally mandated child-to-carer ratios.
ACT Minister for Children and Young People Joy Burch said the Childcare Centre Grants program will help ensure childcare places in the ACT are maintained or increased. The funds can be used towards infrastructure costs including planning and design, equipment and fit-outs, with a total of $250,000 available in the program.
“The ACT childcare sector is very well positioned to transition smoothly to meet the new national standards, with all our centres already meeting the required child-to carer ratio for the over-two age group, and almost half of all our centres meeting the under-two ratio,” Ms Burch said.
“However, for some centres, physical modifications to their under-two rooms may be necessary to maintain current place numbers, and this grants program will assist them to make these changes.”
Centres can apply for up to $10,000 for planning and design, equipment and fit-out expenses. To be eligible, centres must be registered, licensed and not-for profit, and intend to increase or maintain their current number of places for children under two. Organisations that are already compliant with the new ratios must maintain their current level of under-two childcare places.
Applications close 16 May.
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