Free preschool for young families under $120m Budget measure
Families with young children will have access to free preschool next year under a $120 million state budget sweetener to ease the financial burden on parents. SEE WHO WILL BENEFIT.
NSW
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Families with young children will have access to free preschool next year under a $120 million State Budget sweetener to ease the financial burden on parents.
Estimated to directly benefit more than 44,000 three- to five-year-olds across NSW, the state government views the initiative as a cost-of-living measure which will free up the family budget by up to $2000 per child per year while allowing parents to continue working.
The government effectively waived frees for community and mobile preschools at the start of the pandemic to ensure the early learning of young children would not be impacted as household purse strings tightened.
The measure was extended to the end of Term 4.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the decision to extend the funding for another year was designed to provide certainty for families.
Parents would also be able to continue working, with the measure providing up to 15 hours of free care per child each week.
The initiative would also ensure the state’s childhood educators remained employed while saving parents thousands of dollars, he said.
“This is a $120 million investment in our future, which will remove a layer of financial pressure for many families during this uncertain time,” Mr Perrottet said.
“It will also help support more than 7400 early childhood educators and teachers in their vital roles.”
The funding will be made available to an estimated 700 state-funded community preschools and 38 mobile preschool services that provide care for more 44,000 children in the critical years before school.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said supporting families throughout the pandemic had been a priority for the state government and the help was now extending through the recovery phase.
Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Sarah Mitchell said: “Early childhood education is so important, especially in those critical two years before school.
“Families will have certainty moving into 2021, knowing that regardless of their situation their child will be able to continue with their preschool education.”
Georges Hall family Joshua and Jacqueline Holt said any relief from fees was welcomed. The couple’s three-year-old son Vincent has been attending preschool this year, and they’ll be doing the same for one-year-old Jemima when the time comes.
Mr Holt, a corrections officer, said preschool not only benefited their son, but also helped with childminding.
“We both work full-time and so it does help having him in preschool,” he said.
“It’s also a good way to get him introduced into early learning and moving on to school.
“It is a fair bit of money, so not having to pay does make it easier.”
The NSW Budget will be delivered on November 17.
Originally published as Free preschool for young families under $120m Budget measure