Additional funding for Kindergarten, regulation in Qld 2022-23 Budget for second year running

The Queensland Government has handed down its 2022/23 Budget, funding an extension of its existing commitment to Universal Access (UA) to Kindergarten in the year before school for a further four years, up to and including 2025-26. 

The budget also committed to a further increase in funding for the regulation of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services across the state. 

There were no additional initiatives or pledges made to support the ECEC sector outside of these commitments, which were very similar to those presented last year and a long way short of the major reforms seen in NSW and VIC. 

Key commitments to be found in this years budget are as follows:

State Kindergarten Funding – The Government is providing increased funding of $263 million over four years and $77 million per annum ongoing to support kindergarten funding reform with the intention of reducing out-of-pocket expenses for families, increasing disability funding and implementing educational needs funding for children in Queensland attending a kindergarten.

ECEC  Regulation – The Government is providing increased funding of $55.5 million over four years and $14.2 million per annum ongoing for the regulation of ECEC services.

Education Minister Grace Grace said this was the Palaszczuk Government’s eighth ‘record budget’ for school and early childhood education.

“The budget includes an additional $263 million invested over four years and $77 million in ongoing annual funding to support the continued provision of universal access to kindergarten for Queensland children,” she said. 

“This additional funding is part of our kindergarten funding reform package worth more than $1 billion over five years.” 

“We continue to invest heavily in kindergarten because we know how important early childhood education is to set our students up for success at school and in life,” Ms Grace concluded.

For more information about the State Budget visit budget.qld.gov.au.