The recent state budget announcement has seen many positives for the community including a $200 million funding boost to allow for three-year-olds to attend preschool.
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At this stage, only four-year-old children are being subsidised.
This move makes NSW the first state to undertake such an initiative, and will see families saving an average of $825 dollars a year from January 1 2019.
Coleambally Preschool Director Vicki McIntosh was delighted to hear of the funding boost.
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“Funding three-year-olds is a good idea. Obviously it allows children to come to preschool affordably for two years before they go to school,” Ms McIntosh said.
“It’s going to give families more options in terms of being able to afford to send their kids to preschool.”
She notes the move certainly allows for children to develop greater social skills, and for teachers and students to build up a more lasting rapport.
“It gives us more time to work with the kids before they go off to school rather than just one year.”
Ms McIntosh noted building relationship is the foundation of learning and said the students will become more confident and developed when they come back to the preschool as a four-year-old.
“It’s about developing their confidence in terms of communication, and their social and emotional skills, they’ll have more opportunity to be learning through play as a three-year-old.”
She said the benefits outweigh any negatives, but sees it could be a burden on some schools who have long wait lists.
“If there are more three-year-olds taking up two days a week, then it may become a bit of a dilemma in terms of fitting them all in.”
Coleambally Preschool is currently licenced for 20 children a day, with three staff, but does not have a wait list at this stage.
Yet, with the funding allocation, that could change.
“At this stage we do have some three-year-olds who are coming unfunded and only can afford to come one day a week, so now that they’re are going to be funded they may take up that extra day.”
Despite this, Ms McIntosh believes it will make preschools more sustainable and more secure in the numbers, particularly for small centres.