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Hornery, Sonia to the
Minister for Education
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- How much funding does the Government contribute to subsidising preschool
education?
- (a) Will the Government offer free preschool services to families?
(b)
If not, why not?
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Answer -
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- In 2012-13, the NSW Government has allocated approximately $149 million in
support of NSW preschool education.
- (a) Other States and territories do charge fees. Further, the NSW
Government does offer free preschool to disadvantaged families, as do other
states. In March 2013, the Government announced an immediate funding boost of
$25 million for the preschool sector, with $20 million to go directly to
preschool services to reduce fees for parents and $5 million in capital funding
to expand preschools in areas where more places are needed.
The fee
initiative will reduce fees for the remainder of 2013 to zero in preschools in
the most disadvantaged areas of the State. In 2014 and beyond, Government
support for services will be aligned to the family circumstances of the
children enrolled. Children in circumstances of disadvantage will be eligible
for free or near-to-free preschool for up to two years.
(b) Not
applicable.
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Question asked on 12 March 2013 (session 55-1)
and printed in
Questions & Answers Paper No. 139
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Answer due on 16 April 2013
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