Budget 2019: Preschools allocated $453.1 million worth of funding … but is it enough?
Josh Frydenberg has been forced to defend his short-term pre-school funding arrangements after furore from the early childhood sector.
Josh Frydenberg is facing backlash over pre-school funding arrangements revealed in yesterday’s 2019 Federal Budget.
The early childhood sector is furious after the Treasurer announced federal funding would give 350,000 children 15 hours of pre-school - but only for one year.
“Every single year that we have been in government, we’ve funded it this way,” Frydenberg told the Press Club.
He said the Coalition is “absolutely” committed to the program but wants a review of the way states and the federal government funds pre-school.
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Mr Frydenberg last night spruiked the $453.1 million funding continuation for preschool as a win for families, but the money falls well short of Labor’s pre-election commitment to fund preschools for three-year-olds as well as four-year-olds.
The funding flop came as a $2.8 million program that will teach 3.8 million schoolkids and 500,000 teachers across the nation about how to be respectful in relationships and reduce domestic violence was also unveiled.
“Tonight I am announcing $453 million to once again extend preschool education enabling 350,000 children to receive 15 hours of quality early learning per week in the year before school,” Mr Frydenberg said in his Budget speech.
“We will continue to work with the states and territories to support a longer-term plan.”
Preschools are jointly funded by the states and commonwealth and refer to the year before formalised schooling.
The Universal Access funding has been reviewed annually and the sector has said this piecemeal approach has meant long term strategy has not been possible.
Labor last year announced it would fund two years of 15-hours a week of preschool for all children.
The Labor commitment will cost $1.75 billion and is to be funded through proposed changes to negative gearing.
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Last night’s failure to back preschools by the government leaves a key point of difference that Labor can campaign on through the election campaign.
In 2016, the Mitchell Institute published a report which concluded two years of preschool — the year before formalised schooling — as opposed to one, had a significant impact on a child’s cognitive, social and emotional learning.
Many other OECD countries fund two years of preschool before formalised schooling and their academic results benefit enormously as a result.
News Corp has led the reporting on the issue, in 2017 travelling to several European nations who are championing three-year-old preschool.
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Other early childhood announcements made in last night’s budget include $4 million to improve the operation of the Child Care Subsidy system — which has been plagued with problems including low-income families wasting taxpayer dollars on an exotic parrot or the pokies due to a glitch in the system.
The new Child Care Subsidy came into force on July 2 last year — replacing the former Child Care Rebate and Child Care Benefit.
It was touted as one easier, streamlined payment that would be paid direct to providers.
The $2.8 million Respect Matters program will be rolled out as a digital training for parents, teachers and students.
Close to 500,000 teachers and student teachers will take part and 3.8 million schoolkids.
The government also announced $30.2 million for a Local School Community Fund to assist students through the provision of equipment, upgrades or programs to local schools.
Schools could apply for iPads, expensive electronic toys, craft supplies or anything they want to under the program that has no clearly defined parameters.
A $1.4 million commitment was also made over two years from 2019-20 for The Smith Family to work with state and territory governments to develop strategies on how to further lift preschool participation rates.
NUMBER OF FOUR-YEAR-OLDS AT PRESCHOOL
QLD: 68,000
VIC: 98,000
NSW: 102,000
SA: 22,000
WA: 37,000
TAS: 7000
NT: 3500
ACT: 7000
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