Families in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) will potentially save thousands of dollars in preschool fees due to a $1.4 billion (US$983.7 million) plus commitment by the NSW government over four years as part of the 2022-23 state budget.
From Jan. 1, 2023, families across the state will be eligible for up to $4,000 per year in fee relief for three, four, and five-year-olds attending a community or mobile preschool, up to $2,000 a year off fees for four and five-year-olds attending preschool in a long day care setting, and the equivalent of five days a fortnight of preschool fee relief for all children attending Department of Education preschools.
This comes as rising fuel, power, and food prices exert pressure on families across NSW and the nation.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Wednesday that the initiative would have the dual effect of easing the cost of living pressures and allowing more children to receive high-quality early education, which facilitates a smooth transition to school and results in better educational outcomes for their future.
“Preschool is where the building blocks for lifelong success are established, so it is vital that quality early childhood education is more accessible for families in NSW, no matter what their circumstances or where they live,” he said.
“We’re committed to ensuring families across the state have a brighter future and less pressure on the hip pocket.”
In addition, $64.1 million will be invested in a two-year trial to support more three-year-olds attending preschool in extended daycare services.
Education and early learning minister Sarah Mitchell said the research is clear that one of the best ways to affect good educational outcomes at school is to improve early childhood education.
“That’s why I’m so delighted to be continuing our support for community and mobile preschools. Families using these services are not eligible for the Child Care Subsidy, so NSW’s commitment to long-term funding relief is significant and genuinely needed,” she said.
“We are also extending support to NSW families whose children attend preschool in a long daycare setting, because at the end of the day, what’s important is our littlest learners having access to great quality preschool programs.”
The support comes as the NSW and Victorian governments announced a major education reform that will see a universal pre-kindergarten year of education introduced for all children in both states by 2030.
This means that families will be able to enrol their kids in a non-mandatory full year of state-based early learning before starting kindergarten as part of their school education.
Mitchell said that universal pre-kindergarten is something she has been working hard to bring to NSW for several years, after seeing the benefits it brought children and families in countries like Canada.
Meanwhile, a Victorian media release from Thursday noted that introducing the pre-kindergarten year will help more parents return to work on terms that suit them, benefiting hundreds of thousands of working families.
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