Tens of thousands of kids across the state will have access to free preschool sooner, with a re-elected NSW Liberal and Nationals Government to accelerate the rollout of its $5.8 billion one-year free pre-Kindergarten program.
The commitment will bring forward $1 billion to commence construction on the first of the new preschools in the second half of this year, with the first 500 on public school sites to be completed within four years.
By 2030, every single child in NSW will have access to a full year of free, play-based learning in the year before school.
A re-elected NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will also legislate the right to one-year free pre-Kindergarten in the next term of government.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said this would kick-start learning for tens of thousands of kids across the state, setting them up for future success.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the accelerated delivery of universal pre-Kindergarten represented a huge investment in regional communities.
“The bush is leading the charge on this major education reform, with 34 of the universal pre-Kindergarten pilot sites and more than half of the first 500 universal pre-Kindergarten schools being in regional communities – helping kids from Kempsey to Coonamble take the first steps to a brighter future,” Mr Toole said.
Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said that she was pleased to be able to unveil the first 500 schools that will have purpose-built infrastructure for universal pre-Kindergarten.