Western Sydney childcare deserts to gain 40 new public preschools under $200 million deal

Almost half of Western Sydney is considered a childcare desert, but construction of 40 new public preschools will begin this year under a $200 million deal. See where they’ll be built.

The NSW government is building 40 new preschools in Western Sydney including at Guildford West Public School, where schoolteacher and mum of three Maryum Palani, pictured here with her kids Aryana, Zerina and Deyako, will be among the first to benefit. Picture: Richard Dobson

Dozens of Western Sydney’s childcare desert suburbs are one step closer to having new free preschools on their doorstep, with the NSW Government signing off on a multimillion-dollar contract to build 40 new centres.

Construction giant Richard Crookes Constructions will be commissioned under the $200m deal to design and build preschools for up to 3600 kids alongside existing primary schools in suburbs including Blacktown, Mount Pritchard and Yagoona, where there are currently fewer than 0.31 childcare places per child.

Like the public primary schools they are co-located with, the new centres will not charge families fees, and will provide a “transitional” year of early education for three- to five-year-olds before they start kindergarten.

The Minns government has pledged to spent almost $770m to double the number of public preschools in NSW by opening a further 100 centres, split between Sydney and regional communities, by early 2027.

Almost half of Western Sydney is considered a childcare “desert”, defined as a region where there are three times as many children in need of childcare than there are places for them, according to research by Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute.

Guildford West Public School teacher and mum of three Maryum Palani said her school’s new onsite preschool would “make a huge difference” for local parents like herself struggling to find one anywhere nearby and travelling far from home as a result.

“When my girls were around preschool age and I wanted to transition them into kindergarten, I looked online to see if there were any preschools in schools (in our area) and there were none,” she said.

Schoolteacher mum Maryum Palani is thrilled her youngest child, two-year-old Deyako (right), will have a smoother transition to Kindy than his sisters Zerina (Year 1) and Aryana (Year 2). Picture: Richard Dobson

Many children struggle making the leap from childcare to school, with her oldest children – seven-year-old Aryana and five-year-old Zerina – no exception, and Ms Palani was relieved her two-year-old son Deyako will have a chance at a smoother transition when he starts school in 2027.

“There is actually a big gap between childcare and kindergarten,” the primary school teacher said.

“The routines, the expectations, the learning are very structured, whereas they’re coming from play-based learning structures.”

Going from play-based learning to a more structured school environment can be a big hurdle for Kindergarten kids. Picture: Rohan Kelly

NSW Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car said the state government had prioritised the communities where new preschools “are needed most”, with contracts yet to be awarded for seven more preschools in Oatlands, Melonba, Gables, Greenway Park, Leppington, Melrose Park and Nirimba Fields.

“The NSW Government is committed to improving access to free quality public preschool for our littlest learners because we know how crucial the early stage is for a child’s development,” she said.

“I look forward to construction getting underway across Western Sydney and the remaining contracts awarded shortly.”