THE NSW government has been accused of short-changing families, as the region’s community-based preschools count the costs of another disappointing budget.
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NSW continues to be the most expensive state for preschool fees, with parents paying on average almost $20 more each day than other states and territories.
When the budget was handed down last Tuesday, the government announced $347.8 million had been set aside for early childhood education, including $20 million for before- and after-school care.
Early Childhood Education Minister Leslie Williams said the sector’s funding had increased by 32 per cent from last year, but a close look at the government’s figures showed it had underspent allocated funds by almost $100 million last financial year.
A spokesman for the minister said the unspent funds were due to a complication with anticipated federal funding.
Quirindi Preschool director Alison Thompson is frustrated by what the early childhood sector maintains is a serious funding shortfall compromising the future of the state’s children.
Under the state government’s Priority of Access Guidelines, there is no funding allocated or priority given to “non-equity” three-year-olds, or those who aren’t considered to be from a disadvantaged background.
As a result, Mrs Thompson said, her preschool could only offer a limited number of places to these children, once there were no longer any four-year-olds or “equity” children seeking positions.
Under the government formula, four-year-olds receive a funding subsidy, with the government guaranteeing a minimum 15 hours a week of preschool in the year before a child starts school.
It places her and her staff in an awkward position as they strive to satisfy the community’s expectations with the need to keep the doors of the centre open.
“As a community-based preschool, it is important to remember that while we would much prefer to be able to welcome every pre-schooler regardless of age, we have a responsibility to the community to ensure our preschool remains financially viable for generations to come,” Mrs Thompson said.
She told The Leader earlier this year that the funding change for three-year-olds equated to a $68,000 cut for her preschool in 2015, forcing the shedding of a teaching position and a rise in fees.
To her way of thinking, preschools should be funded according to the number of students they are licensed for, regardless of their age or circumstances.
As a community preschool, Mrs Thompson said, the community, which put so much into these facilities, had a right to expect all children would be treated equally when it came to enrolments.
“It’s like (governments) don’t value early childhood education and the benefits to the children who attend,” she said.
“They’re also not valuing the communities’ commitment ... or the enormous effort that families put into maintaining and improving our preschools.”
