Increased funding and overhaul of preschool education for NSW and Victoria
Now’s the ideal time to invest in your centre.
Substantial changes to the childcare and education sector are coming to New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, thanks to ongoing efforts between the state governments. The addition of a year of play-based learning is being hailed as “the greatest transformation of early education in a generation.”
These new policy reforms will significantly improve early childhood education for children in Victoria and NSW. A year of play-based learning, dubbed “pre-prep” in Victoria and “pre-kindergarten” in NSW, will provide children with the skills they need for school, as well as the skills they need to succeed in life. This new program will see play-based learning jump from 15 hours/week to 30 hours.
The Victoria and NSW governments have also announced plans to significantly decrease the cost of childcare while increasing the number of childcare centres over the next decade. NSW will invest more than $5.8 billion during this time period, with the goal of introducing universal pre-kindergarten by 2030, while Victoria aims to provide subsidies of up to $2500 for kindergarteners three to four years old.
In addition, the funding will also go to establishing new childcare centres, particularly in suburbs with long wait lists. With more than one-third of the Australian population living in an area with a shortage of childcare places, the new centres should go a long way to making it easier for working parents to have the access to childcare they need, enabling them to return to work on their own terms.
These measures will not only assist families with childcare costs but will also benefit early childhood education and care providers. The new plan includes a $218m workforce plan to help find qualified staff for expanding centres. Such measures will go a long way to providing childcare providers with the confidence to invest in their centres as they seek to recoup losses from the COVID pandemic.
One way centres can look to upgrade their business is with childcare management software, including tools that assist with parent engagement, health & safety compliance and observation & documentation. Xplor Childhood & Education’s Playground platform saves educators time while helping your centre remain compliant with National Quality Standard guidelines. Additionally, everything documented or shared is securely backed up in the cloud, conveniently available for your next centre assessment.
If you agree now is the right time to invest in your childcare centre, visit https://www.ourxplor.com/educatorapp/ for more information and to book your demo today.
