Back to school financial relief for cash-short Vic families

The cost of sending kids to school is rising fast, increasing by 13% over the last 12 months, placing financial pressure on families as children return to classrooms for 2020.

Victoria is the most expensive state with costs rising from $503 in 2019 to $608 in 2020 per child.

But Victorian parents struggling to meet the financial demands of back to school expenses can access some help through State Schools’ Relief, a not-for-profit organisation that supports the needs of state school students by providing them with new school uniforms, footwear, school bags and other essential educational resources.

Many Victorian families have sought assistance through State Schools’ Relief with the charity assisting over 56,000 students in 2018/19 with the number and value of items distributed exceeding 210,000 and $6.3 million.

Families who require financial assistance are asked to make an appointment with the school Principal, Assistant Principal or Welfare/Wellbeing Coordinator to request our support. The school will then place an application for assistance directly with State Schools' Relief, on behalf of the family in need.

CEO of State Schools’ Relief, Sue Karzis  says “Over the past 4 years, with the support of the State Government, State Schools’ Relief has assisted 218,839 students across Victoria, with 783,171 items totalling over $25m.

"State Schools’ Relief is the only organisation of its kind in all of Australia, providing grassroots support for students from the most challenging backgrounds. One in 10 Victorian state school students and 8 in 10 Victorian state schools utilise our service, and the need continues to grow.”

The not-for-profit has also recently launched its own independent uniform label, Student’s Choice, which operates as a social enterprise to fund the core charitable work of the charity, enabling the not-for-profit to keep the costs of its own uniforms down.

Parents who want see if their kids are eligible can review the FAQs provided on the State Schools’ Relief website at https://ssr.net.au/faqs call on 03 8769 8400 or email at [email protected].