Parents claim Yarra Ranges’ kindergartens have been financially “hamstrung” by the State Government’s fee-free kinder under the Best Start, Best Life reforms, placing the quality of kinder services at risk.
But in a response from Yarra Ranges Kinders’ interim chief executive officer, Juliette Hammond, she iterated that changes to session times and potential composite classes were not based on funding challenges.
“Decisions regarding session structures and age groupings are based on educational quality, enrolment demand, workforce availability, and sustainable service delivery—not on the operating deficit,” she said.
Launching Place Kinder Parent Support Group (PSG) president Emily Arnold told Star Mail that free enrolments meant kinders were losing their main source of income, which has resulted in cost-cutting measures from senior management.
Ms Hammond also disputed this, stating that while fee-free kinder changes the funding model, every Early Years Manager in Victoria now operates under the same system.
“While we absolutely listen to parent and educator feedback, we must also balance enrolment demand, the rights of all families to access kindergarten, and the viability of each program,” she said.
Yarra Ranges Kinders (YRK) is an Early Years Manager (EYM) that manages Launching Place Kinder alongside 22 others in the Yarra Ranges.
In its 2024 annual report, YRK recorded an operating deficit of over $850,000.
This deficit, Ms Hammond put down to several reasons, citing it as a “temporary operating deficit”.
“2024 reflects a period of significant investment in payroll, IT, facilities management, compliance, and the foundational reforms required under Best Start, Best Life,” she said.
“These investments were necessary to ensure long-term organisational stability and improved services for children and families.
“We continue to operate within our funding requirements and remain committed to providing high-quality kindergarten programs without compromising educational or safety standards.”
Ms Arnold said, however, it felt like YRK was attempting to make up for the deficit by increasing session times, combining three and four-year-old classes and drawing on teachers to ask parents for fundraiser donations.
“We’ve gone from the standard three five-hour sessions to two seven-and-a-half sessions per week, and this was dropped on us last year with no consultation.”
Ms Hammond said the mixed-aged groupings were a “well-established model” used by many community kindergartens in Victoria.
Kinders are funded on a per child basis, with the standard rate being $3831 per child.
In an email between YRK and Launching Place Kinder PSG, YRK asked parents to fundraise $5000 to renovate an outdoor area in order for “increased program capacity”.
Ms Arnold said the main purpose of the project was to increase the program capacity, which she claimed would put teachers under more stress and compromise child safety.
Ms Hammond confirmed the improvement at Launching Place was “not a required safety or compliance upgrade” and that it was “a long-standing and common practice” to “enhance kinder environments through fundraising”.
“No staff member or family was obligated to fund it,” she said.
The State Government provides funding for EYMs in addition to per-child funding streams, which have increased by 45 per cent since 2021 to meet operational costs.
This means kindergartens receive core funding at a rate of $3831 per child, and then EYMs such as YRK receive an additional $18,963 in funding.
A Department of Education spokesperson said EYMs play a critical role in the delivery of early years services in Victoria.
“Early Years Managers engage directly with families and local communities in managing their kindergarten services to strengthen participation and make sure children succeed.”
Frustrations between parents and YRK have risen after other kinders under its management have spoken out.
Parents from Lancaster Preschool in Mooroolbark started a petition demanding Ms Hammond resign after similar changes were made.
