Public preschools operate during school hours and are guided by the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0. Located on public school sites, they support a positive transition to school by forming strong connections between children, families and school staff.

What to expect from the new public preschools

Operations

• Operate the same hours and days as their school.
• Offer a play-based educational program and operate under the National Quality Framework (NQF).
• Staffed by qualified educators and teachers in line with National Regulations.

Timeline

• The NSW Government has committed to building each new public preschool by 2027.
• The opening date of each new preschool depends on building and regulatory approvals, for progress updates on each preschool visit the School Infrastructure website.
• Each school will also communicate with its community about when families can start enrolling children.

Size and attendance

• Public preschools typically have either 20, 40 or 60 places per day. The size of each preschool is tailored to meet the needs of its area, based on local supply and demand data.
• Preschools make local decisions about attendance patterns for children but must offer 600 hours of preschool over the year (or 15 hours a week). For example, a preschool might offer a 5-day fortnight program, with 3 days one week, and 2 days in the alternate week for 2 separate groups of children.

Enrolment and fees

• Priority enrolment is given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children living in low socio-economic circumstances and children who are unable to access other early childhood settings due to financial hardship.
• In 2024, families are currently not charged any fees to send their child to a public preschool. Start Strong funding is not used to subsidise fees at public preschools and may still be accessed by families at other early childhood education services.
• Public preschools currently enrol children for one year only, the year before they start school.
• Children can enrol in public preschools from the beginning of the school year if they turn 4 years old on or before 31 July that year.
• Children do not need to live within the school’s catchment area to attend a public preschool. Enrolment in a public preschool class does not automatically translate to an entitlement to enrol in kindergarten at the school.
• Further information will be provided to local communities, including enrolment information, as the work progresses.

Visit the public preschools webpage for more information about existing public preschools including locations, enrolment and current policies and procedures.