26 Jun 2023
Free three-year-old preschool will be available to all Canberra families for one day per week from the start of 2024.
The ACT Government’s biggest investment in the early childhood education sector will provide a saving of $1,329 for the average family with a 3-year-old.
Delivered through participating Early Childhood and Education Care (ECEC) services, funding of more than $50 million over four years aims to improve equitable access to quality early learning in the two years before formal school.
This investment will increase preschool programs across the Territory delivered by degree-qualified Early Childhood Teachers, giving Canberra children the groundwork for a lifetime of learning.
Equitable access to quality, play-based early learning is a powerful way to support children’s learning, wellbeing, and development, and it has life-long benefits.
More than 5,000 three-year-olds across Canberra are expected to be eligible for this nation-leading initiative.
Recognising the importance of the ECEC sector and workforce, the ACT Government initiative also provides significant support for the ECEC profession. This includes:
- Delivering a comprehensive survey of workforce qualifications, capability, and service capacity.
- Establishing a professional learning and resource portal for ECEC services.
- Establishing a Professional Learning Network and collaborative learning communities for educators across the Territory for the first time.
- Delivering a suite of investments in early childhood educator training and qualifications, and
- Providing scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators working in Koori Preschool.
Children who participate in quality preschool programs in the two years before formal school are more likely to make a successful transition to school, stay longer in school, continue to further education and fully participate in employment and community life as adults.
You can read more at: Coming soon: Free three-year-old preschool webpage