- Published:
- Wednesday 23 March 2016 at 5:27 pm
The Andrews Labor Government has today released the State of Victoria’s Children report, highlighting the need to reduce the impact of disadvantage on children and young people’s education.
The 2013-14 report found disadvantage in Victorian communities often lead to difficulties in a child’s education. The former Liberal Government failed to release a report since 2012. This report covers trends from 2013-14 to paint an accurate picture of the cycle of disadvantage.
The report found after year five, the rate of absenteeism among children living in out-of-home care is far higher than their peers. It also reveals socioeconomically disadvantaged families are more likely to suffer food insecurity, which can impact on learning.
These figures demonstrate the need for the Labor Government’s massive boost to needs based funding and investment in early childhood education and maternal and child health.
To fix the mess inherited from the previous Liberal Government, the Labor Government is investing $4 billion in making Victoria the Education State – the biggest ever investment in Education and early childhood services.
Breaking the cycle of disadvantage is a strong focus of the Government’s investment in programs including:
- $13.2 million over four years to establish and operate LOOKOUT Education Support Centres for 6,000 school-aged kids in out-of-home care;
- Almost $30 million to provide students in need with uniforms and glasses and provide breakfast for 25,000 kids at 500 of Victoria’s most disadvantaged primary schools;
- Almost $1 million to develop strategies to strengthen engagement with vulnerable families;
- Up to $83.7 million to support kindergartens to transition to improved staff to child ratio requirements to ensure every child receives more one-on-one time and;
- An investment in innovative maternal and child health engagement with vulnerable families.
The full report is available on the Department of Education and Training’s website.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos
“Our Government is investing to supporting families and children early on in the critical stages of a child’s development, which we know helps keep them engaged in education and learning.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino
“It’s always concerning to see reports reaffirming the impact of disadvantage on a child’s education.
However, we have introduced measures to support disadvantaged young people at every stage and I am confident the actions we are taking will help break this cycle of disadvantage.”