ATTENTION LDCs: Are you NEGATIVELY affected by the NSW Government’s “free” community/mobile preschool funding for 2021?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSW Premier (the Hon Gladys Berejiklian MP) and the NSW Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning (the Hon Sarah Mitchell MLC) announced on 9 November 2020 that community/mobile preschools will be free for 2021.

This “free” community/mobile preschool funding was to provide up to 15 hours of free care per child each week and would allow many parents to continue working.

It should be noted that the NSW Government had originally intended to end the “free” community/mobile preschool funding was to end by December 2020 (see https://nsw.childcarealliance.org.au/news/936-nsw-government-funding-for-community-and-mobile-preschools-to-be-extended-to-term-4).

The Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW has heard members that the NSW Government’s “free” community/mobile preschool funding has had other unintended and negative effects.

As such, it is launching a 3-week survey (see https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BWD6W59) to the entire NSW sector in order to gather and analyse the situation.

ACA NSW will share a report with the NSW Government, ACA NSW members as well as the sector in an effort to eliminate the unintended and negative effects on long daycare services.

Should you need further information/clarification, please contact ACA NSW on 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au.

PUBLISHED: 25 FEBRUARY 2021