Parents, guardians, educators, childcare providers and staff members are all encouraged to participate.
Ms Cleeland said it was incredibly important to hear directly from the community about the access and availability of childcare and kindergarten, and how it was impacting local towns.
“Your personal stories about the challenges and successes in the childcare and kindergarten sector can help us guide policy,” Ms Cleeland said.
“We will discuss the challenges facing our regional kindergartens and childcare providers, including accessibility, availability, staffing, and more.
“I am keen to understand how our region’s childcare waitlist is impacting you and your family, whether you need to travel to receive care for your child, and whether you can access enough care for your working requirements.
“From these discussions, together we can make a real difference in shaping policies that will improve our regional kindergartens and childcare opportunities.
“Your voice matters in ensuring this government understands the sector’s needs.”
Ms Cleeland will be joined by Eliza Friedel, a student at the University of Melbourne, who is drafting a report on childcare access across regional Victoria.
‘Beyond Urban Borders: Accessing Early Childhood Education and Care across regional Victorian central north-eastern townships’ aims to guide future policy for childcare across regional Victoria.
“Your stories and experience will be included in this report to create better recommendations for our community,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Should you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.”
The event will run from 7pm to 8pm on Wednesday, May 1.
Registration for the online event can be done at: https://shorturl.at/puTUV
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