Coming Soon: Universal Preschool for New South Wales and Victoria

Within the next 10 years children in NSW and Victoria will have access to five days a week of free early education in the year before school.

The move, which is described as “the greatest transformation of early education in a generation” in a joint statement by the NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and his Victorian counterpart Dan Andrews aims to better equip children for the transition to ‘big school’.

“It will mean that, in the next 10 years, every child in Victoria and NSW will experience the benefits of a full year of play-based learning before their first year of school,” they said.

In NSW the commitment comes with a sizeable financial commitment of $5.8 billion over a decade and a similar cash injection is likely in Victoria.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the huge investment in early learning had never been seen before in Australia.

“This is incredible reform that will change lives and deliver enormous educational benefits for children across the state, securing a brighter future for NSW families,” Mr Perrottet said. 

“We’re ensuring our youngest learners thrive by introducing a full year of preschool education before kindergarten, as we know how important it is to have a strong educational foundation.” 

This reform is also a clear demonstration of growing understanding about the importance of ensuring all children can access high quality early education in the year before school.

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said that children who receive quality early childhood education are more likely to get better results at school and earn more across their lifetime.   

“This reform will deliver intergenerational results for our kids and our economy,” said Mr Kean  

A reform of this scale takes time to plan and roll out, and the NSW government has said it will work with families, peak bodies and service providers to create the best model for delivering the universal preschool year of education. 

KindiCare CEO Benjamin Balk said this announcement is great news for children and families in NSW and Victoria and an important step to creating more affordable and accessable early learning in both metro as well as more regional and remote areas of New South Wales and Victoria.

“The evidence clearly shows that high-quality play-based early education delivers great results for children and scaffolds the transition to big school.

“Equally as important are the benefits for working parents, specifically women. This reform means parents can return to work on their own terms knowing that their kids are in the ideal place, reaping all the benefits of a high quality funded early education system and the fantastic educators who keep it going.”

This news comes hot on the heels of a recent announcement by the NSW government that it will spend $5 billion over the next decade to improve childcare access and affordability for families.