Strong demand for Edenhope childcare service
Published on 09 March 2022
Strong demand for Edenhope childcare service
A new childcare program in Edenhope is one step closer after an expression of interest process showed there was significant demand for the service.
Over the past few weeks, families had an opportunity to indicate to Council their interest in enrolling their children in a pilot childcare program.
The results of the expressions of interest process proved there was strong demand for the Edenhope service and that the program would be viable.
Council will now start the recruitment process for staff, with the hope of opening the childcare service from April 26, the start of term two.
Council will also seek approval from the Federal Government to administer the Child Care Subsidy Scheme.
Council Chief Executive Officer David Bezuidenhout said the proposed start date of the service was dependent on staff recruitment and government approvals processes.
He said staff recruitment would start this week with information and application forms available on the West Wimmera Shire Council website.
“Anyone wishing to apply for a position at the service can fill out a form online now,” he said.
Mr Bezuidenhout said it was fantastic to see so many families registering their expression of interest for an Edenhope childcare service.
“The market testing process proved the demand is there and we hope to get the service open for these families as soon as possible,” he said.
“This is great news for the community and the many families who need to access a childcare service.
“The expressions of interest process also showed that the service will be sustainable without adding a burden on rates.”
Demand for childcare was extremely strong for children under three, with the number of families wanting places exceeding the number of places available.
Mr Bezuidenhout said the service would still progress with the number of places originally advertised, but this could change in the future.
“The number of children under three we have places for will be reviewed and we hope to progressively increase places to meet the demand,” he said.
“In the future, we may consider taking up to 12 children each day and possibly opening on Fridays.
“However, our ability to open more places will depend on our ability to find suitably qualified staff. We also are limited by the size of the building.
“For children over three, there were enough places to accommodate all the applications submitted.”
Eight places for each of the four days were available for children aged under three.
Places for three and four-year-old children varied for each day depending on current kindergarten enrolments.
Over the next two weeks, Council staff will be contacting families who expressed an interest in enrolling their child to confirm their places.
“Unfortunately, we will not be able offer places to everyone who applied, at least in the initial months of the service commencing,” Mr Bezuidenhout said.
A waiting list will be established for families who did not secure a place.
Council consulted with a group of Edenhope parents about the proposed service model before the expressions of interest process opened.
“A copy of the draft information package was provided to a sample group of parents,” Mr Bezuidenhout said.
“Their feedback was invaluable, resulting in several minor changes to both the model and the communications.
“One change that we made following this feedback was offering both before and after kindergarten care as an option for families.”
The childcare service will run from Monday to Thursday from 8am to 5pm. Care for kindergarten children during school holidays is also available.
Mr Bezuidenhout said Council was extremely pleased to be able to offer childcare in Edenhope.
“We know this is a much-needed service in the town and we are excited to move forward with the next stage of delivering this program,” he said.
“We hope this significantly helps families in our communities.”