‘Kindy will be free for everyone’: QLD government takes pressure off parents

Due to start in January 2024, the new free-kindergarten scheme will save Queensland families almost $5000 every year.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today that from January 2024, kindergarten will be free for all Queensland children.

“Some big news,” the premier said in a tweet. “We’re making kindy free – for everyone.”

The move is expected to save parents around $4,600 a year, reducing financial pressures on families as the cost of living rises.

Currently, around 14,000 Queensland kids are eligible for free kindergarten.

The new scheme will cover another 50,000 children for up to 15 hours a week in a centre that’s government-approved.

“There are currently around 8,000 children who are eligible to attend a kindy but don’t, and it’s time to close that gap,” the premier told the ABC.

“This investment will put thousands of dollars back into the pockets of families at a time when we know people are doing it tough and support parents getting back into the workforce.”

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Some big news.

We’re making kindy free – for everyone.

It will save families around $4,600 a year, easing national cost-of-living pressures.

And it'll give every little Queenslander the best start in life. pic.twitter.com/p3HyDkiBjh

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 12, 2023

Queensland government to provide free kindergarten to all kids

The news comes as the Daily Telegraph reports that NSW childcare centres are struggling to find staff to fill places and have been forced to turn down children as a result. 

According to a survey of 101 centres in February by the Australian Childcare Alliance, 85 per cent were capping the number of enrolments offered because they couldn’t find qualified staff to fill roles.

At one service, 320 children each week were missing out on spots.

RELATED: Qualified preschool educators are a dying breed

RELATED: The surprising way preschool affects your child’s future success

Aware the free kindergarten scheme will attract record numbers to schools in January 2024, the Queensland government is preparing and working with kindergartens now “so they are ready for the expected high number of enrolments in January 2024”.

$120 million has been earmarked to attract and retain workers to the sector.

Education Minister Grace Grace said the funds would be life-changing for thousands of children, and would help attract staff, particularly to remote and regional areas of the state.

RELATED: 10 tips for starting preschool

Children with two years of preschool demonstrate better abilities in language, pre-reading, early number concepts, independence, concentration and sociability. Photo: iStock

How preschool affects child’s future success

Research has shown time and again how beneficial preschool is for kids, particularly those of low socio-economic backgrounds.

The proof is in the early and final school years.

A 2017 study in the UK has shown that a child benefits from two years of preschool both in their transition to their first year at school and also in their final years of schooling.

In the first year of school, a child who has had a minimum of two years in preschool will demonstrate better abilities in "language, pre-reading, early number concepts, independence, concentration and sociability."

At the other end of their schooling, children that had experienced two years of preschool "achieved higher total final exam scores, better grades in English and in maths, and took more final year exams."

According to the Mitchell Institute fact sheet, "Children with at least two years of preschool achieve much higher scores at age 15 than those who attend no preschool or only one year."

Originally published as ‘Kindy will be free for everyone’: QLD government takes pressure off parents