NCEC says 2021/22 Budget responds to areas of significant educational need

The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) has welcomed the focus on early learning in the recent Budget, as well as the  $63.5 million of funding announced to support gender equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls, saying both elements respond to areas of significant educational need.

NCEC Education Executive Director, Jacinta Collins, said the continuation of Universal Access to 15 hours of preschool will enable children to build critical foundations in the year before commencing school. 

“The government’s commitment to a new four year agreement will support early childhood services and encourage more families to access affordable early learning for their children,” she continued. 

“We know that quality early learning plays a key role in preparing children for a good start to school and we look forward to working with the government on identifying areas of reform to support increased preschool attendance and school readiness.”

The Catholic education sector operates about 250 preschools and early learning centres educating nearly 5,000 children across Australia. Nationally, there are 1,755 Catholic schools educating more than 777,000 students, or one in five Australian students, and employing over 100,000 staff.

Ms Collins also welcomed the Government’s commitment to fund 2,700 additional places in girls academies to provide culturally-appropriate support for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to achieve Year 12 attainment and post-school transition.

To learn more about the work of NCEC, see here. A comprehensive breakdown of the Budget announcement as it relates to ECEC may be found here.