The Australian Childcare Alliance New South Wales has written to NSW Premier the Hon Mike Baird MP and NSW Early Childhood Education Minister the Hon Leslie Williams MP expressing that ACA NSW is both pleased and troubled with the NSW Government’s recent announcement this week of its $115 million boost into early childhood education.

Although ACA NSW is grateful for the NSW Government’s allocation of $30m additional funding that is purposed to benefit vulnerable and disadvantaged families in order to have their children increase their participation in early childhood education, the reality is we are disappointed that the ratio of funding fails to recognise that there are more than twice as many children in NSW receiving their preschool education in long daycare services as those attending ‘9 am to 3 pm preschools’ due to the demands of parents wanting to synchronise their children’s childcare needs with their work hours.

Given private and not-for-profit long daycare services have by far the largest share of NSW’s total childcare services that can offer preschool programs, why wouldn’t Australian governments seek to leverage that in order to achieve the nation’s social and economic aspirations for children and their parents.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics data for NSW already shows enrolments in preschools has actually declined in favour of long daycare. And it is also worth noting that the NSW Government commissioned Brennan Report stated that “Access, affordability and quality should be assured regardless of the type of service a child attends. Families should be able to expect that Government assistance will remain reasonably consistent if they change early childhood education providers due to changes in their workforce participation or other needs.