NSW early childhood education most expensive in country

NSW is lagging behind the rest of the country in early childhood education, with the highest fees and lowest program availability in Australia, a damning new report has found.

Preschoolers Ciara Cameron-Gleeson, 4, Laylah-Lee Winters, 3, Laquaelah Carr, 4 and Jaylani Sanders, 4 at Poets Corner Preschool in Redfern. Picture: Jonathan Ng

NSW is lagging behind the rest of the country in early childhood education, with the highest fees and lowest program availability in Australia, a damning new report has found.

Despite falling short on key benchmarks, the state government spent $350 million less than it had budgeted for early childhood education over four years.

The NSW Auditor-General’s report found the government contributed the second lowest amount per child on early education out of all the states and territories, while fees charged to parents were the highest in the country.

The government’s goal is to have 95 per cent of children enrolled in at least 600 hours of education in preschools, community preschools and long day care centres the year before they start school.

Yet only 77 per cent of NSW children are meeting that benchmark — by far the lowest result in the country.

Early Childhood Education Minister Leslie Williams said the government had accepted all of the Auditor-General’s recommendations, which included better targeting of funding and helping the disadvantaged.

“The report confirms that reforms delivered by the NSW Government have resulted in improvements — however we recognise there is still more to do,” she said.

“Over the past three years the spend on early childhood education and care by this government has increased by 14.5 per cent.”

But opposition early education spokeswoman Kate Washington said the government had been given a report card and it was failing.

“They need to start prioritising early childhood education as they should be doing, they have underspent $350 million, it’s astonishing,” she said.

Ms Williams said that gap was due to funding uncertainty from the federal government.

States are responsible for early childhood education, while the Commonwealth looks after childcare, but the lines are blurred.

Four-year-old Ciara Cameron-Gleeson currently goes to Poets Corner Preschool, in Redfern, two days a week. Her mum Tamaris said it was the most they could afford but she was getting a lot out of it.

“She’s starting school next year and she’s really benefited from going to preschool because she was really shy and it’s helped get her out of her shell, she’s also counting now and learning all of her lessons,” the Alexandria resident said.