Expanding access to early education in New South Wales

The Albanese and Minns Labor Governments have reached a historic agreement for $59 million in funding to deliver early learning centres across nine public school sites in New South Wales’ suburbs and regions.

This is part of the Albanese Labor Government’s $1 billion Building Early Education Fund which provides capital funding to build and expand early learning services in areas of need including on school sites and in regional communities and the outer suburbs.  

This partnership with the NSW Government will deliver new centres located at Muswellbrook Public School, Cessnock East Public School, Eden Public School, Chester Hill North Public School, Wattawa Heights Public School, Inverell Public School and at new public primary schools in Calderwood, West Dapto and Googong. 

It will support the creation of around 400 early childhood education and care places.

Through this agreement, the Albanese Labor Government is delivering on its commitment to build new early learning centres in Muswellbrook, Cessnock, and Eden.

This investment will make access to child care easier by delivering more high-quality centres co-located on school sites. This will help families avoid the double drop-off and help children smoothly transition to school.

Early education and care helps children get ready for school while supporting working families and strengthening regional and outer suburban communities.

This is another big investment in public education on top of the $20 billion in extra funding the Albanese Labor Government is delivering over the next ten years for public schools.

As part of the Fund, the Government is making up to $150 million available through grants to not-for-profit providers to build or expand child care centres in areas of need. 

The large scale round has closed and is under assessment. The small scale round is open for applications until 29 May. 

More information about the Building Early Education Fund is available at: Building Early Education Fund - Department of Education, Australian Government

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

“This is the trifecta. It’s good for parents, it’s good for kids and it’s good for public education.

“The Building Early Education Fund will help deliver more quality early education places for families in communities that need them most.

“Where you grow up shouldn’t determine whether you can access early education.

“These projects in New South Wales mean more families can access early learning close to home and more children start school ready to go and ready to learn.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education Jess Walsh:

  “The Albanese Labor Government is delivering more early learning centres for children and families in New South Wales.

 “Our $1 billion Building Early Education Fund is delivering more early learning centres for more families in more places, particularly in our outer suburbs and regions.

 “These projects mean more families can access early learning close to home and children can get a great start in life.

 “This is one of the building blocks of a universal early childhood education system.”

Quotes attributable to New South Wales Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car:

“This agreement is about making life easier for NSW families – more high-quality, affordable early learning centres close to home and relieving pressure on parents balancing work with the school run.

“More families across the state will be able to avoid the double drop off and access world-class early learning right where they live.

“Together with the state’s biggest expansion of public preschools in NSW history, we are working to ensure every child gets the best possible start in the years before school.”