AS students prepare to return to school next week, a new survey reveals that 30 per cent of parents are finding it difficult to cover essential schooling expenses.
From uniforms and stationery to school fees and excursions, many families are facing increasing financial pressure, highlighting the growing challenges of ensuring children have access to the necessary resources for their education.
The Act for Kids survey of 1000 Australian parents also found more than a quarter (27%) reported difficulty affording internet at home.
The findings also revealed that 40 per cent of Australians said they were battling to pay for extracurricular activities important to their child’s social and physical wellbeing, such as sport, music, and hobbies.
South East Queensland-based charity Kids4Kids Foundation sprung from an idea from then nine-year-old Sam Glancy after he met two boys who had escaped a home filled with domestic violence.
In the charity’s first year, it helped two local schools and gathered 4000 school supplies.
Since then, with the help of the public, Kids4Kids has helped 13 local and regional schools plus an overseas school, and last year distributed more than 190,000 school supplies.
Charity spokesperson and Sam’s mother, Tanya Glancy, told Local Ipswich News that the findings were not surprising, and the divide was growing annually.
“Every year, we witness first-hand how many families face significant challenges in providing essential school supplies for their children,” Ms Glancy said.
“The economic pressures on parents, especially with the cost of rent, has been a common reason.
“We have even helped students who are homeless and living in tents that I’ve never seen in the past eight years.
“The stories have been heartbreaking. We’ve had an increase in requests for help.
“I’m so glad though that we’ve had community donations, grants and fundraisers as support and help for these families.”
Act for Kids CEO Katrina Lines said many children across the country were sadly suffering from the flow-on effects of the cost-of-living crisis.
“It is common for children to experience some form of anxiety about heading back to the classroom as this often involves change, whether that be a new school, teacher or meeting new classmates,” Dr Lines said.
“It can be quite distressing if, on top of this, they are worried about not having the right uniform or whether they will have the materials to complete school work including homework.”
