In some areas across Australia, Services have been offering gifts to parents to lure them into their childcare setting. Gifts include free Ipads, Holiday Packages, payment of families bills, $1000 cash and more. Under the Labour Government, these rewards will be banned when parents enrol their child.
It has been reported that services have gone to extreme lengths to attract new enrolments and the Labor government does not believe this in as an appropriate use of taxpayer funds.
With an expenditure of $7.9 billion on the childcare subsidies this year, the money should be used to supporting families with affordable services, not incentives.
Services that also provide incentives undermine the quality of early childhood learning as a whole and does not meet community expectations.
Labor's plan on banning childcare centres from offering rewards or incentives unrelated to the delivery of the service. Families and Educators will also be encouraged to report any centre that offers rewards when enrolling their child to the Departement of Education and Training.
Reference:
"Labor Would Ban Childcare Enrolment Gifts", 9News Australia, 24 September 2018
