Australian Childcare Alliance NSW President Nesha Oneil Hutchison has joined Early Learning and Care Council of Australia Chairman Tom Hardwick and Goodstart Early Learning State Manager Nicole Jones in a joint communique to NSW Premier Mike Baird MP to express the private long day care sector’s disappointment with the recent Start Strong preschool funding announcement of $30m for the long day care sector.
Even though additional investment that aspires to ensure all children receive 600 hours of quality early childhood education in the year before school is to be commended, the three leaders argue that this model will result in around half of NSW preschool children receiving no funding at all. Moreover, they view this as a regressive step when NSW preschool children already receive significantly less funding than in other jurisdictions.