Tas signals more support for early years with expansion of Working Together program

The Tasmanian Government will expand the popular Working Together program, which supports eligible three-year-olds to access free, high-quality early learning in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in the year before kindergarten, into Child and Family Learning Centres as well as its 19 existing partner ECEC services. 

Commencing in 2024, Working Together in Early Childhood Education and Care will expand its delivery to Child and Family Learning Centres, and in areas where there are no ECEC providers, or Child and Family Learning Centres the Government will also explore how early learning in the year before kindergarten can be delivered on a school site or at a local library, where there is the community support and will to do so. 

“Our Government wants Tasmania to be able to provide universal access to pre-school, in the year before kindergarten, for every child, to help set them up for a great start in life and learning,” Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.

Thrive by Five Director Jay Weatherill welcomed the announcement saying the decision is “a positive step towards giving more families the option to access high-quality early learning for their children.”

“Providing free access under the Working Together Program will not only ease the pressure on family budgets during these economically difficult times, it will also give parents and carers, mainly women, further flexibility of choosing to return to work or increase their number of work hours,” he added. 

“We also acknowledge the Tasmanian Government’s recognition of the need for a strong early childhood educator workforce for the program to be effective. The full advantage of this commitment will only be realised if there’s a qualified and supported workforce to deliver high-quality early learning.”

Read more about the commitment here.