Affordable Preschool Program and Brighter Beginnings

The NSW Government has made further announcements in the lead up to the 2022/23 NSW Budget.  The headline announcement is for more than $1.4 billion over four years for the Affordable Preschool Program.  The Affordable Preschool Program will replace Start Strong Free Preschool from 2023 and will provide:

  • up to $4,000 per year in fee relief for 3, 4 and 5-year-olds attending a community or mobile preschool
  • up to $2,000 per year in fee relief for 4 and 5-year-olds attending preschool in a long day care setting

As part of the Affordable Preschool Program, the NSW Government will also invest $64.1 million for a two-year pilot to support more 3-year-olds attending preschool in long day care services.

The Affordable Preschool Program builds on the funding support to community and mobile preschools through Start Strong, as well as the COVID-19 Free Preschool and Start Strong Free Preschool programs of the past three years.

Read the Media Release here.

The NSW Government has also announced an additional $98.7 million program to continue and expand the number of Aboriginal Child and Family Centres across the state.  The announcement is part of a $376.5 million Brighter Beginnings package for child development and family support in the years before school.

Read the Media Release here.

CCSA welcomes these announcements which respond to our advocacy priorities over the past few years: funding certainty for community and mobile preschools, increased affordability and accessibility to preschool programs for all NSW families irrespective of the setting, and a focus on early childhood education and care for First Nations children.

CCSA will continue to keep our members informed as further information becomes available through the 2022/23 Budget process.