MORE PRESCHOOL OPTIONS FOR NSW COUNTRY KIDS

Preschool services will be more accessible for families in regional parts of the State, with the NSW Government today announcing $8.3 million in grants to expand and establish new services.
 
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said the Capital Works Grants program increases the number of places in community preschools, providing families with more opportunities for early childhood education.
 
“When it comes to early childhood education, I think families should have options that are accessible, affordable and high quality,” Ms Mitchell said.
 
“As a Government, it is important we do what we can to support our regional communities that have endured a tough few years.
 
“No matter where your family lives, every child should have access to a top-quality early childhood education service, because we know how important the early years are for their social, cognitive and emotional development.”
 
Ms Mitchell added that since 2018, the NSW Government has allocated $62.1 million to increase community preschool places in areas of high demand. 
 
“Successful applicants can use this funding to support a variety of service improvements, including opening new centres, extending and renovating existing sites and in some cases, investing in new vehicles to support the continuation of mobile preschool services,” she said.
 
“We implemented the Capital Works Grants program in 2013, and since then we have expanded preschool capacity across the State by thousands of places.
 
“There will be some exciting projects taking place thanks to the 2019 round of Capital Works Grants, including two new vehicles for Gwydir Mobile Children’s Service, $1.5 million for a new preschool at Cootamundra and $350,000 for a significant extension of Leeton Preschool.”
 
For more information, visit the Department of Education website.