North Coast community preschools have been thrown a lifeline, with the state promising every service at least its 2026 funding for the next two years.
The turnaround was announced on Saturday, 14 November. For 2027 and 2028, every community and mobile preschool will get at least its 2026 funding allocation, adjusted for operational changes such as enrolments and opening hours. The government says that will help preschools keep their staff while they welcome more families.
It follows weeks of warnings from Nationals MPs and candidates, including Member for Oxley Michael Kemp, who said the Macleay and Nambucca valleys already had “childcare deserts”.
The funding overhaul is meant to help community preschools make better use of the places they already have. The government says more than 10,000 more children could attend existing community preschools. It admits the change is a big one that will take time, and says it will work with the sector to address its concerns.
“Despite significant government investment, around half the state remains undersupplied with early learning places,” said Deputy Premier Prue Car. “Something has to change.”
“Our reforms will deliver more high-quality places through community preschools and in 100 long day cares co-located with our public schools.”
Those 100 public long day care centres are an election promise. If Labor is re-elected, they would typically open from 7am to 6pm, five days a week, for 50 weeks a year. Every centre would run a preschool program for children in the two years before kindergarten.
The centres would be built on public school land, in communities where places are in short supply or services cannot keep up. The government says that would end the double drop off for parents and avoid the cost of buying separate sites. It says the plan is funded in the NSW Budget.
The government says 43 per cent of NSW communities do not have enough access to early learning. Research it commissioned shows the state needs 21,000 more places by 2030. In some parts of the state, it says, families wait up to two years for a place.
The government says access depends too much on where families live and what they can afford. When parents cannot find a place, it says, they may turn down work, cut their hours, or miss out on a job altogether.
“We know families are juggling parenting, work and a high cost of living,” Ms Car said. “Our public long day care centres will go a long way to help by ending the double drop off and providing affordable quality childcare close to home.”
“Too many parents, particularly women, cannot work because childcare is unavailable or unaffordable. Access to high-quality early learning can make the world of difference to working families.”
According to the government’s 2026 Women’s Strategy Report Card, 29.3 per cent of women who want to work are not actively looking for a job because of childcare responsibilities. Over time, the government says, the changes will help more parents, particularly women, return to work or work more hours.
“For too many parents, finding affordable childcare is the difference between being able to work or having to stay home,” said Premier Chris Minns. “We need more places, and we need to make better use of the places we already have.”
“That’s why, if we’re re-elected, we’ll deliver 100 public long day care centres in communities where families need them most.”
“This is about making life easier for working families, giving more children a great start in life and helping more parents get back into the workforce,” Mr Minns said.
“Labor has a proud track record when it comes to public education because we see it as an investment in our state’s future, with transformative benefits for children, families and communities,” Ms Car said.
“We are on track to deliver 100 public preschools by 2027. Now we are going further, delivering 100 public long day care centres to meet the needs of even more families.”
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