IN THE space of a week, two popular Queensland childcare providers have publicly declared they will allow non-vaccinated children in their centres.
Both Creche and Kindergarten (C & K), which operates 143 centres throughout the state and Churches of Christ Care, which runs 20 centres, won’t ban children who aren’t up-to-date with their vaccinations.
This is despite the Queensland government passing legislation protecting child care providers who exclude non-immunised children from their centres. The laws were passed with bipartisan support in October and came into effect on Friday, January 1.
The federal government’s ‘no jab, no play’ policy also came into effect on Friday.
Under that policy, parents who are “conscientious objectors” to childhood vaccination will no longer receive their childcare and family tax payments, in a move designed to crack down on the growing anti-vaccination movement.
Both Church of Christ Care and C & K say they have always allowed non-immunised children in their centres.
“In many small towns like Cunnamulla and St George we’re the only childhood provider,” the general manager of children, youth and families at Churches of Christ Care, Jane Carter, told news.com.au.
“If we don’t accept children we are removing a child’s right to education before they get to school.”
Ms Carter claims the organisation provides information to families about the benefits of vaccination and encourages parents to use an app that sends reminders when their child’s next vaccination is due.
“But the bottom line is parents have the right to make a decision about their own children,” she said.
Creche and Kindergarten (C & K) CEO Michael Tizard claims the majority of families who don’t vaccinate their children are not “conscientious objectors”.
“We also believe a significant number of unvaccinated children are from families where there might be issues or from disadvantaged communities and we feel excluding children from ... early childhood opportunities just further disadvantages them,” he told the ABC.
“C & K is very pro-vaccination, so we’re fully supportive of children being vaccinated, and we’re fully supportive of public education programs that educate parents about the importance of vaccinations.
“For those parents that struggle to get around to it and need additional support we’re also supportive of programs that will assist them to understand the importance of vaccination and get them there and get their children vaccinated,” he said.
The head of parent advocacy group The Parenthood said the decision by both providers was “disappointing”.
“I acknowledge that we don’t want to deny any child access to education, simply because of the choices of their parents. But this is also about the health and safety of all of our children,” executive director Jo Briskey told news.com.au.
“By having a childcare centre that says, ‘You can’t come here unless you’re vaccinated’, it reminds parents how serious the issue is,” Ms Briskey said.
“It’s helps them keep on top of it. For these first few years of life, you have to go [and get your children vaccinated] quite regularly. Parents forget.”
Ms Carter said Church of Christ Care “takes every precaution” to manage disease outbreaks in their centres.
“The minute we have an outbreak, we talk to the families of the children who aren’t immunised and ask them to exclude them for the time being, because we recognise that the other children’s immunisation is still developing,” she said.
In Australia 92 per cent of children under five are fully immunised, according to the latest data from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR). Queensland children are on par with the national average.
The number of people who are registered “conscientious objectors” to vaccination has risen in the past 10 years.
ACIR data reveals there are now 39,000 children aged under seven who are not vaccinated because their parents are registered, an increase of more than 24,000 children over the past 10 years.
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