Media release
9 March 2022
The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA) welcomes today’s announcement by the Prime Minister of direct financial assistance for early learning and care services damaged by flooding.
‘The flooding emergencies have been devastating for so many communities in Queensland and New South Wales,’ said CEO Elizabeth Death. ‘Among the many impacts, early learning and care services have had to close their doors.’
‘After two years of battling to stay open during COVID-19, it’s heartbreaking that some early learning and care services will have to close their doors for months to come,’ Ms Death said.
‘For the sake of young children, their families and their educators, we need to do everything we can to get these early learning and care services back on their feet.’
The $10,000 grants will be paid to early learning and care services that have been closed for more than seven days due to flooding.
‘These grants from the Australian Government will be a small down-payment on the huge clean-up bills facing some early learning and care providers,’ Ms Death said.
‘We encourage any service that needs more help to apply for a Special Circumstances grant from the Government’s Community Child Care Fund.’
There are 236 centre-based early learning and care services closed today due to flooding, most of them (86%) in New South Wales.