By ALESHA CAPONE
A DECISION to cut funding for a multicultural mobile service which provides resources to kindergartens and childcare centres has been described as a “slap in the face” for youngsters in the West.
The Opposition spokeswoman for Children, Jenny Mikakos, told parliament she had received correspondence from the CEO of the Brimbank Preschool Association (BPA), raising “serious concerns” about funding cuts to FKA Children’s Services.
The BPA represents more than 250 educators from 26 kindergartens and six long day-care providers in Brimbank, Maribyrnong, Melton and Moonee Valley.
Ms Mikakos said funding for the FKA’s mobile resource service “has been completely cut for all the local areas in the western suburbs” plus the rest of Victoria.
She has called on the State Government to reinstate the funding.
“It’s really disappointing the West is missing out, especially after the Sunshine Children’s Hospital funding was slashed, it’s just another slap in the face for all the kindergarten children who need these services,” Melton MP Don Nardella said.
FKA CEO Sandra Prouse said as of December 2012, the FKKA lost approximately $140,000 in annual funding from the State and Federal Governments for its onsite, online and mobile library service.
Ms Prouse said since the start of this year, volunteers had enabled the FKA’s Richmond library to stay open – but the mobile service had not been able to operate at all.
The mobile service previously took items such as bilingual children’s books in 67 languages, teaching aids and translated resources to kindergartens across Victoria.
“The loss of these multicultural resources means kindergartens in the western suburbs will now need to fund-raise for these materials or purchase it themselves,” Ms Mikakos said.
Derrimut MP Telmo Languiller said the decision to de-fund the mobile multicultural library was “yet another blow to families of the western suburbs”.
“This community has a very high migrant background and this decision by the Napthine Government tells each of these families that their children don’t matter,” he said.
Keilor MP Natalie Hutchins said many home-based carers in the West would also miss out on support from the FKA if its funding was not reinstalled.
