More than 10,000 additional children could enrol in NSW community preschools while teachers and educators will be guaranteed higher than award pay rates under new funding guidelines to be released today by the Minns Labor Government.
The new Universal Preschool Funding Program will replace the outdated Start Strong program, provide funding to more than 700 community preschools, and introduce a more sustainable funding model to help services fill thousands of currently vacant places across NSW.
Under the new model, community preschools will be asked to maximise places in their centres, creating capacity for more than 10,000 additional children in these high-quality services.
For the first time, 3-year-old places will be fully funded, expanding access to community preschools and helping services maximise enrolments for the benefit of more children and families.
Funding for children with inclusion support needs in community and mobile preschools will increase, with up to $91 million now provided through a needs-based streamlined program.
Families with preschool-aged children in long day care will be eligible for up to $2,625 per child in 2027 through the Fee Relief for Long Day Care program, a $255 million initiative. The guidelines will require Long Day Care centres to provide preschool programs while the NSW Government increases fee relief to support families.
Other benefits of the new Universal Preschool Funding guidelines include:
Out-of-pocket fees capped at $20 per day for community preschools that charge them, with existing charges above $20 frozen at their current level.
Funding for an additional day of preschool for eligible children in priority cohorts, increasing access from two to three days a week for eligible children in priority cohorts.
Total funding for community preschool services through the Universal Preschool Funding Program and the Inclusion Funding Program will be $584 million to $642 million, an increase on the 2026 total of $540 million to $625 million.
The reforms form part of the Minns Labor Government's broader $1.8 billion investment in early learning, announced in the 2026-27 NSW Budget.
Deputy Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:
"The Minns Labor Government has made affordable, high-quality early learning a priority. We're on track to deliver 100 fee-free public preschools by early 2027, providing an additional 9,000 children with access to preschool.
"Through these guidelines, we expect to see up to an additional 10,000 children offered places in our excellent community preschools, while guaranteeing early learning staff the pay rates they have long deserved.
"Every child deserves access to safe, high-quality early learning. These reforms will help community preschools deliver quality education programs at an affordable cost to families, while meeting their regulatory obligations.
"We're committed to keeping costs down for working families and giving more children a confident start at school, and we're also committed to ensuring workers in this sector are paid fairly."
