The NSW Government has delivered on its commitment to make early childhood education more affordable for families, with fees already dropping by an average of 25 per cent thanks to the Start Strong Reforms.
Minister for Early Childhood Education Sarah Mitchell has welcomed preliminary results from the 2017 Preschool Census, which surveyed more than 730 community preschools in NSW.
“This is huge news for families, with fees dropping for the first time ever in NSW after years of neglect from former Labor governments,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Making quality early childhood education more affordable for all families is a goal of the NSW Government’s Start Strong program and the results from the census prove the program is a real success.”
The Start Strong reforms were introduced last year to ensure more children had access to 600 hours of quality early childhood education in the year before school.
Under Start Strong, community preschools must use at least 75 per cent of the funding increase to reduce fees for eligible children, with priority given to children from Aboriginal and low-income families.
Ms Mitchell said she looked forward to watching children across the State benefit from the funding for years to come.
“I am proud the NSW Government has invested an additional $217 million to extend Start Strong funding through to 2020,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The social, cognitive and educational benefits gained from quality early childhood education are immeasurable and this investment is absolutely crucial in ensuring children in NSW have the best start to their school lives.”