Government Financial Support For Childcare Services During COVID Lockdown

Child care services in Commonwealth-declared hotspots will be eligible for payments of 25 per cent of their pre-lockdown revenue. Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services will be eligible for payments of 40 per cent.

This will apply to services seven days after the hotspot is declared, where states have directed families to keep their kids at home.

Where kids are still allowed to attend, the supports will kick in four weeks after the hotspot declaration.

The measure is in addition to the existing Commonwealth supports, including gap fee waivers which allow Commonwealth Child Care Subsidy to continue even when children are not attending.

The new payments will immediately benefit child care services in affected areas of Sydney and the ACT and OSHC services in Metropolitan Melbourne.

All other services in Metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria and regional NSW will become eligible after seven days of lockdown, and payments will be backdated to today.

The supports will also be available for services who meet the criteria in any future extended lockdowns.

Payments will be contingent on services:

• expecting attendance below 50 per cent
• waiving gap fees for all families whose children are not attending
• maintaining staffing levels
• agreeing to a fee freeze for the duration of support
• not accessing other Commonwealth Government funded supports
• Streamlined payments will be available to services in around two weeks.

Reference:
Targeted Assistance For Child Care Services During COVID Lockdown, Department Of Education, Skills and Employment,23 August 2021