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Start Strong for Community Preschools

Grant Closes: Ongoing Value: Based on enrolments Run By: NSW Government Department of Education Further Information: https://education.nsw.gov.au/early-childhood-education/operating-an-early-childhood-education-service/grants-and-funded-programs/start-strong-funding/start-strong-for-community-preschools

The Start Strong for Community Preschools program provides funding to deliver affordable quality preschool education for 3-to- 5 -year-old children enrolled in eligible community and mobile preschools in NSW. 

The program’s operational funding (Program Payment) supports the operating costs of eligible early childhood education services and enrolment of at least 600 hours per year or 15 hours per week. Evidence shows that this level of participation in a quality early childhood education program in the 2 years before school is associated with better outcomes for children.

The program’s fee relief funding (Fee Relief Payment) provides community and mobile preschools with sustainable long-term funding to deliver at least 600 hours of low, or no cost preschool to eligible children.

Start Strong promotes universal access and priority of access by providing:

  • higher program funding rates for preschools which operate within the lower range of Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) score of relative socio-economic disadvantage
  • additional funding for children 3 years old and above from low-income families, children with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background, and children with disability or additional needs
  • loadings for preschools that operate in outer regional, remote and very remote areas
  • further loadings and subsidies as outlined in Appendix 1: Calculation and payment of funding
  • up to $4,347 per year in fee relief for 3- to 5-year-old children enrolled in community and mobile preschools reducing the cost of early childhood education for families.
Last Updated: 30th of January 2025
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