40,000 Queensland families to benefit from $1b ECEC investment

The Queensland Government will invest $1 billion into kindergarten access in 2023, allowing 14,000 children to enrol completely free of charge.

 

Education Minister Grace Grace visited the Lady Gowrie Love Street early childhood education and care (ECEC) service in Fortitude Valley over the weekend to make the announcement, which is expected to benefit around 40,000 families in total through free or cheaper kindergarten. 

 

Alongside the funding announcement, the Minister indicated that parents and carers would now be able to access an online calculator which will show them how much they will save through the Kindy for All program. 

 

“We want Queensland’s kindy services to be both exceptional and accessible, and I don’t want a single family in our state to struggle to send their child to kindy,” Ms Grace said.

 

The Minister gave several illustrative examples of how the program will work, including: 

 

• A family earning $60,000 and holding an Australian Government Health Care Card will benefit from free sessional kindy, with an average annual saving of $4,500 a year.
• Families with a child attending kindergarten in a long day care setting, with a combined family income of up to $130,000, receiving Family Tax Benefit will save around $500 a year. 

 

“This is significant, targeted, financial support for low to middle income families that will help with the cost-of-living,” Ms Grace said. 

 

“Kindy really does count, so I encourage Queensland families to jump online, see their savings, and enrol their kids for kindy today.” 

 

The kindergarten program funding overhaul – the most significant reform for the Queensland sector in more than a decade – also includes:

 

• $38.5 million to help 300 remote and regional services attract and retain early childhood teachers by providing relocation expenses and accommodation assistance;
• Doubling the number of services covered by Kindy Uplift to more than 900; and, 
• $19 million a year to enhance support for families with children who have a disability or are developmentally vulnerable

 

Children in Queensland can start kindy in the year before Prep (first year of primary school). Kindy for Queensland children happens in the year they turn four years of age, provided this is before 30 June. 

 

Children who turn four years of age after 30 June must wait for the next intake.