NSW to Erect 100 New Public Preschools

Children arrive at Annandale Public School with their parent in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 18, 2021. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

The New South Wales (NSW) government will build 100 new public preschools in the next three years to improve access to early childhood education for parents in the state.

On Feb. 19, the state Labor government announced the locations of 100 new public preschools in what it called the “biggest expansion” of the sector in NSW’s history.

The new preschools will be built at public primary school sites in Western Sydney, South West Sydney and North West Sydney, as well as throughout regional NSW.

A state education department panel was responsible for selecting the sites using assessment criteria that considered educational needs, child development, socioeconomic factors, preschool demand, and infrastructure feasibility.

The NSW government said co-locating the preschools at public primary school sites will make it more convenient for parents to drop off their children without travelling to multiple locations and assist working families with cost-of-living pressures.

The program will cost NSW taxpayers $729 million (US$467 million) and is expected to be completed by 2027.

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NSW Premier Chris Minns emphasised the importance of the program in improving children’s learning ability.

“Children who receive high-quality early childhood education can benefit throughout their life, and it is so important families are able to access good quality services wherever they live,” he said.

“This investment is an important step towards delivering expanded preschool access for all families across NSW.”

NSW Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar said the government was committed to delivering high-quality education and closing “equity gaps” for parents in the state.

“This major step towards delivering 100 public preschools has involved work and consultation with our educators, teachers and local communities,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state Opposition criticised the program, saying it was well below the coalition’s election promise to deliver 500 preschools by 2027.

“This visionary initiative has been reduced by Labor to just a fifth of what it would have been,” Nationals leader Dugald Saunders said.

The specific locations of the school can be found on the state government website.

Childcare Fees Grow Faster Than Inflation

The NSW government’s announcement comes as many Australians are struggling with soaring childcare fees despite the support from the federal government.

A recent report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) revealed that childcare fees across the country had increased at a quicker rate than inflation and wages, even though the government raised childcare subsidy rates in July 2023.

The sharp rise in childcare fees was driven by the growth in labour costs, which accounted for 69 percent of the total cost for day care services and 77 percent for outside school hours care services.

Nevertheless, the ACCC stated that the government’s recent childcare reform still had some positive impacts, as it reduced the costs of centre-based day care by 11 percent, outside school hours care costs by 8.8 percent and in-home care costs by 12 percent in 2023.

To improve the ability of the childcare markets to deliver good outcomes for Australian households and communities, the ACCC recommended the government adopt a price regulation reform, such as a “market stewardship role,” which was implemented by many countries.

Monica O’Shea contributed to this article.