Supporting more children to access preschool

Thousands of children in New South Wales and the Northern Territory will get access to 15 hours per week of quality preschool in the year before they start school. 

The Morrison Government will provide $128.9 million to support around 100,000 children in New South Wales and a further 4.87 million to support 3,600 children in the Northern Territory after reaching agreement with the respective authorities on the National Partnership on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education. 

Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the Morrison Government had provided $862.7 million to support children attending preschool in New South Wales and $33.1 million to the Northern Territory since 2013. 

“From the centre of Sydney to the remote outback, Australian children will benefit from accessing government funded preschool,” Mr Tehan said. 

“Our Government is supporting Australian families to access 600 hours of preschool in the year before full-time school because that is a critical time for laying the foundations for a child’s education. 

“Children who attend a quality preschool program are more likely to do well at school and this can make a big difference in educational outcomes, especially for those in rural and remote parts of Australia.” 

Victoria, South Australia and the ACT have already signed up to the National Partnership.