By Vanessa Chircop
AN increase in child care fees in Hobsons Bay has been moved forward by six months.
At a council meeting on 22 March this year, the council moved to increase childcare fees to $78 per day from January 2012.
However last week the council decided to bring forward the $8 per child per day increase to 1 July 2011.
Councillor Luba Grigorovitch said the increase was to assist the council to comply with the State Government’s new Children’s Services Regulations which come into effect on 1 January 2012.
At the initially council meeting in March, Cr Angela Altair said the council had been left with a stark choice and had to increase the fees.
From January 2012 all Victorian childcare centres must provide one staff member to every four children when working with children under three.
Last week Cr Altair said this item had come back to the council because the implementation date needed to be clarified.
A co-ordinator of a privately owned childcare service in Hobsons Bay who did not wish to be named said she believed this increase would force parents to rethink the council run services and opt to put their children in private child care which is traditionally more expensive.
“$78 a day is more expensive than us,” she said.
