Up to 64,000 NSW youngsters will have their learning fees slashed by $500 in a push to boost preschool education and provide cost of living relief.
Spanning a two-year period, initiatives are set to include fee relief and extended opening hours of preschool providers, costing taxpayers an estimated $100 million.
It’s part of the NSW Government plans to invest in early learning, with a view to enhancing the sector’s workforce.
Within the proposal, parents of three-year-olds in long day care preschool programs will be offered $500 per child off their fees, across 24 months.
At least $20 million will be set aside for the Flexible Initiatives Trial extending opening hours of early childhood education providers to assist parents re-entering the workforce.
A further $20 million will go towards capital funds to support new not-for-profit services in high-growth and regional communities.
And, $22 million will be spent over the next five years in recruiting and retaining early childhood workers, including professional development and scholarship programs for tertiary education of early childhood workers.
“We were elected with a mandate to reinvest in essential services – and that includes giving children the best possible start in life, and a great education,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said.
“We know how important early education is to a child’s development. These are big reforms that will impact the way we deliver early education in NSW.”
The news follows an overhaul of the preschool system announced in a joint statement by Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and then-NSW Premier Dominique Perrottet in June 2022.
At the time both Premiers labelled it “the greatest transformation of early education in a generation” as they looked at plans to introduce a new year of play-based learning for children before they attend primary school.
“In the next 10 years, every child in Victoria and NSW will experience the benefits of a full year of play-based learning before their first year of school.”
The program will consist of 30 hours a week of play-based learning for all four-year-olds and will be known as “pre-prep” in Victoria and “pre-kindergarten” in NSW.
The NSW budget set aside more than $5.8 billion to introduce the pre-kindergarten plan by 2030.
“This government is committed to making sure all children in NSW get the best start in life,” Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said.
“Achieving that goal includes making the investments necessary to make preschool more affordable and accessible for all families.
“We also need to usher in a strong and reliable pipeline of early childhood workers, so our system is supported now and into the future.
“Attending preschool is so important for young children’s development, and the investments we make today will make a world of difference for these children’s futures.”
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