Labor pledges $60m for preschools at non-government schools

New preschools would be built or upgraded alongside at least 50 non-government schools in a $60 million Labor election pledge.

LABOR has pledged to build and upgrade preschools alongside at least 50 non-government schools in high need areas as part of a $60 million election pledge aimed at making life easier for families in Sydney’s west.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that under Labor, preschools are expected be built or upgraded on Catholic and Independent school grounds in high-growth suburbs like Riverstone, Camden, Leppington, Austral, and Schofields.

Funding for the preschools would be allocated to areas of greatest need, with the guidelines to consider socio-economic status, student demographics, and whether a school has been classified as a special school.

The policy is designed to ensure more children get access to a universal pre-kindergarten year of schooling before 2030. 

“Working with the non-government sector to build and expand preschools is a tangible and important initiative to deliver universal preschool for four year olds,” Labor Leader Chris Minns said. 

Chris Minns will build more preschools at non-government schools. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

“Parents are sitting on long waiting lists for preschool access worrying if there is space for their children. Our plan will deliver more preschools and get them built quicker,” he said.

“Delivering preschools for all four-year-olds is a crucial step in improving education outcomes for our children.”

Deputy Labor Leader and Education Spokeswoman Prue Car accused the Coalition of having no plan to deliver a universal pre-kindergarten year of education.

Chris Minns – pictured with kids from the Elachi family (left) John, 5, Aalia, 13, Joseph, 7, Amira, 11, and James, 9 – has pledged $60 million to non-government school preschools. Picture: David Swift

Labor Leader Chris Minns has already vowed that all new public schools will be built with a preschool on site.

The policies will be funded from $3.8 billion set aside in the June budget for early childhood education initiatives.

The announcement comes after Labor pledged $200 million over four years to deliver an ongoing literacy and numeracy tutoring scheme for students, initially targeting the Year 10 cohort.

Mr Minns on Monday said the scheme was expected to help about 43,000 students each year.

The money will come from a $400 million “Education Future Fund”.

That money will also go towards boosting funding for schools to give them better resources.

But Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, announcing a $253 million expansion of a similar tutoring scheme, accused Labor of short-changing kids.

“What they’re proposing is barely going to touch the sides when it comes to providing that sort of support,” she said.

Both major parties are looking to woo parents with education announcements to mark the start of the 2023 school year.