The NSW Government is committed to delivering universal preschool and is taking big steps towards achieving this goal. The department is working to ensure that every child in NSW, regardless of their family’s postcode, income or circumstances, has access to high-quality preschool so that they can be set up for a life of learning.

To work towards this goal, the NSW Government is committed to:

• building 100 new public preschools on public school sites by 2027, including every new public primary school in NSW having a preschool on its grounds
• investing $60 million to build and upgrade 50 preschools on non-government school sites in areas of greatest need
• supporting the not-for-profit sector to build more places in communities that need them..

These investments, as well as support for the workforce and improved access for children to quality early learning, will strengthen the foundations to build a thriving and sustaining early childhood education and care sector that creates a better future for all children.

100 new public preschools

Over the next 4 years, more public preschools will open their doors for families, helping children to learn important skills for school and life, and giving parents and carers more choice and flexibility.

In line with the NSW Government’s commitment of 100 new public preschools, including every new public primary school in NSW having a preschool on site, the first 10 public preschools will be located:

• Nirimba Fields in North West Sydney
• Gables in North West Sydney
• Melonba in North West Sydney
• Carter Street Precinct near Sydney Olympic Park
• Melrose Park Public School near Ryde
• Gulyangarri Public School in South West Sydney
• Wilton Junction in South West Sydney
• Nowra on the South Coast
• Lennox Head Public School on the North Coast
• Albury Thurgoona in southern NSW

Consultation is underway with local school principals and early childhood education services to inform the decisions about the location of the remaining sites, which are expected to be announced early next year.

We are prioritising the children and communities with greatest educational need and are consulting with schools based on analysis of this as well as child development outcomes and projected future demand for preschool.

Decisions about which remaining schools will receive preschools will be made only after an infrastructure feasibility analysis and close consideration of the insights and intelligence we gain through consultation with stakeholders, schools and local early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers.

The locations of the remaining preschools will be determined by a clear process with independent oversight.

Service Voice

To boost access to preschool across the state, we will build on the strengths of our diverse sector and engage with ECEC services to ensure our policy development is informed by the experience and expertise of early childhood teachers and educators in every setting. We want to better understand what is working well in preschool delivery and where there are opportunities for improvement.

Our current consultation and design work is focusing on:

• engaging with ECEC services to understand what is working well in preschool delivery and where there are opportunities for improvement
• engaging Department of Education preschools to better understand strengths and opportunities in the delivery of public preschool
• working with educators and Aboriginal Early Childhood partners, including the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG), to better understand culturally responsive practices with a view to uplift cultural responsiveness across the ECEC sector.

Family Voice

The department is currently engaging with families across NSW to better understand their needs, challenges, and goals in accessing and participating in ECEC. We will use the learnings from this work to inform policy design and ensure preschool delivery meets the diverse needs of families and supports all children to be set up for a life of learning.