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Almost one in 10 kindergartens face being out of pocket if they join the Andrews government s free kindergarten scheme for 2021, with some not-for-profit providers at risk of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Community kindergartens in this position say they will either have to cut back on staff and the number of hours of early learning they provide or opt out of the scheme and deny families a hoped-for saving of about $2000 in fees. Steve Manos and Christina Paleologos, with their kids Ares, 5, and Atlas, 1, at the Brookville Kindergarten in Toorak.
Credit:Penny Stephens
The government announced in last month s state budget that it would deliver free kinder for 2021 at a cost of up to $169.6 million. Kindergarten operators were briefed on the initiative by the Department of Education and Training earlier this month.