The Expanding Quality Access program is an optional, demand-driven and non-competitive grants program. It supports existing, quality not-for-profit community preschools who want to transition to expand their service to meet the local communities’ need for more flexible and extended early childhood education and care for non-school aged children. The total program investment is $100 million financed from the NSW Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund.

Participation is voluntary for not-for-profit community preschools. For more information about program eligibility, refer to section 2.1 of the program guidelines.

A community preschool can transition to a centre-based day care service that is often called a ‘long day care service’. A centre-based day care is open at least 48 weeks each year and cater for children from birth to school age (0 to 5 years old). Please refer to definition within Centre Based Day Care - Department of Education, Australian Government.

Applicants for program funding will be required to complete an application form through SmartyGrants.

The application must address the selection criteria and provide evidence to demonstrate each selection criteria is met. Refer to section 2 of the program guidelines for the selection criteria and examples of evidence.

Yes. Expanding Quality Access Support is available from Community Early Learning Australia (CELA) and Shakeup Architecture. You can register to receive Expanding Quality support via the department’s website Expanding Quality Access Support

CELA has been engaged by the NSW Department of Education to provide tailored one-to-one advice and support to potential program applicants. This includes advice on:

• evaluating whether to apply for Expanding Quality Access,
• scoping the funding supports needed to transition to a long day care service model, and
• planning and implementing a successful transition in response to local demand.

Shake Up Architecture has been engaged by the NSW Department of Education to provide tailored one-to-one advice and support to potential program applicants to scope, plan and implement any capital works or infrastructure projects needed to successfully transition to a long day care service model.

Applications can be made by an approved provider or an agent acting for that approved provider/s. For more information, see section 2.1 of the program guidelines.

Applications can be edited multiple times before the closing date of 8 June 2026. However, submitted applications cannot be edited. See section 3.1 in the program guidelines.

No, late applications will not be accepted, unless otherwise directed by the NSW Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund Board. The application period of 16 February to 8 June 2026 is final. See section 3.1 of the program guidelines.

All submitted applications will be assessed by the assessment panel based on demonstrated merit against the assessment criteria (see section 2.2 of program guidelines). The assessment panel will review the applications and recommend suitable candidates for funding to the NSW Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund Board which is the final decision-maker. The Board’s decision is final in all circumstances.

It is anticipated that all applicants will be advised in writing of the outcome of their application by 25 July 2026.

There is no appeal process. Applicants can request feedback on their application via email to ecec.eqa@det.nsw.edu.au.

For more information, please contact the Early Childhood Outcomes Expanding Quality Access team at ecec.eqa@det.nsw.edu.au.

There is an overall limit on the total grant funding available under the program. However, there is no specific funding cap per service.

Applications will be assessed based on the information and evidence submitted and funding allocations will be determined by the NSW Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund Board.

Of the three funding streams available under the program, only one has a defined cap: Transition Support Funding is capped at $151,250 per transition service. The other two funding streams — Operational Funding and Capital Funding — are not capped.

Program funds cannot be used for activities and/or items that are not explicitly provided for in the recipient’s application and approved under the Funding Agreement for the service.

Further details are available in section 5.4  and section 6 of the program guidelines.

Yes. To be eligible for any funding under the program, services must commit to transitioning to a long day care service model operating a minimum of 48 weeks per year by 30 June 2028.

Further information on this requirement is available in section 1.3 of the program guidelines.

No, the program does not provide funding and support for community preschools to transition only a portion of their licensed places.

The program provides funding and support for whole services to transition to long day care service models. It is this commitment to service transition that enables the funding and support.

Further information is available in section 2 of the program guidelines.

The program provides funding for workforce supports for staff employed at the transition service – both funding for additional hours required to transition (e.g. for educator or administrative staff on transition related duties), and funding for 10% of the Award/s rates for all staff employed at the transition service. See section 5.2 of the program guidelines.​

Transition support funding is available under the program to assist with costs of necessary transition activities including staff training and professional development costs directly related to transition to a long day care. See section 5.3 of the program guidelines.

To be eligible for any funding under the program, services must commit to transitioning to a long day care service model operating a minimum of 48 weeks per year by 30 June 2028. Once this commitment has been made, a range of activities and items — including relevant capital works — may become eligible for funding where they support the service’s transition to a long day care service.

For further information see section 5.1 in the program guidelines.

There are three funding streams available under the program. One funding stream, Transition Support Funding, provides for one-off items and is capped.

Operational Support Funding is neither a one-off payment nor an ongoing funding arrangement. It is provided for the duration of a service’s period of transition to a long day care model.

The length of time this type of funding is available will therefore vary between services depending on their transition plan. For example, if a service is planning to transition by 30 June 2028, operational support funding could be available from the time the funding agreement is finalised until the time the service has completed its transition to an approved long day care service.

For further information see section 5.2 in the program guidelines.

Yes. Applicants can apply for funding under the program to increase the number of licenced places, especially if applicants plan to transition to a long day care service with children aged 0-2 years old.

Increases to licenced places can only be funded where the whole service transitions to long day care service model.

Further information is available in section 2 of the program guidelines.

The program provides funding and support only to community preschool service to transition to long day care service model. To be eligible for funding under the program the applicant must ensure the community preschool service applied for meets all the following criteria:

• be an approved ECEC service under the National Law and Education and Care Services National Regulations
• be an existing not-for-profit community preschool funded under NSW Department of Education 2026 Start Strong for Community Preschools program, and
• hold and maintain a prescribed rating level under National Law of at least ‘Meeting National Quality Standard’.

Out of school hours care services do not meet these criteria.

Further information is available in Section 2.1.1 of the program guidelines.

Yes, providers can apply for funding under multiple grants and funding programs. However, Expanding Quality Access funding cannot be used for activities or items funded by another grant or funding program.

Further information is available in section 5.4 of the program guidelines.

Program funding allocations, and the timing and amount of payments, will be outlined in each recipient’s individual Funding Agreement. In general, Operational Support Funding will be paid quarterly, Capital Works Funding will be paid upon completion of project milestones, and Transition Support Funding may be either a one-off payment or quarterly payments, depending on the items and activities funded. Recipients will be required to provide a full account and acquittal for how awarded funding has been spent. See section 7.1 of the program guidelines.

Payments will only be processed for recipients that are registered in the Early Childhood Contract Management System (ECCMS), and that have entered into a Funding Agreement. See section 8 of the program guidelines.

Funding recipients will be required to spend the allocated funding within the approved funding period outlined in their Funding Agreement.

A transition service funded under the program may remain eligible for the Start Strong for Community Preschools program until approved to operate a long day care service administering Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Once CCS funding is approved, services will no longer be eligible for funding under the Start Strong for Community Preschools program, but may become eligible for funding under the Start Strong for Long Day Care program. For more details, please refer to section 8.6 of the program guidelines.