Federal Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry has welcomed another great initiative from the Federal Government, this time for pre-schoolers.
“The Morrison government is locking in $2 billion over four years to guarantee $1340 for every Australian child to attend preschool in the year before school. This is the first time that Commonwealth funding for preschools will be ongoing and means Federal government funding for all stages of education in Australia is guaranteed,” Ms Landry said.
The new agreements, to be negotiated with states and territories for the school years 2022-2025, would be linked to reforms that lift preschool attendance and school readiness:
o The $1340 per child will need to be passed on for every child, regardless of whether they attend ‘kinder’, ‘preschool’ or a preschool program at a centre-based day care.
o From 2024, states and territories will need to set and meet attendance targets agreed to by all jurisdictions.
o The Commonwealth will work with states and territories to develop and implement a preschool outcomes measure.
Ms Landry said, “The Federal Government is supporting preschool for Australian kids because we know that children who attend more preschool have better education outcomes, are prepared for their first day at school and achieve more in the long term.”
The Commonwealth will negotiate with the states and territories in coming months to ensure an agreement can be in place from 1 January 2022.
Commonwealth funding for preschool will grow from $453 million in 2021-22 to $520 million in 2024-25, with a commitment to ongoing funding from 2026 if reforms are achieved during the first four years.
Ms Landry said, “This funding brings the Morrison Government’s total investment in early childhood education and care to $3.3 billion in the 2021-22 Budget, including $1.7 billion to improve affordability of childcare for families with multiple children aged five and under.”
