Tasmanian Labor proposes five-day kindergarten and universal pre-school reform

Tasmanian Labor has unveiled a major early childhood reform package centred on five-day kindergarten in public schools and universal pre-school access for three-year-olds, positioning early learning as both an education and workforce participation priority.

Under a Josh Willie Labor Government, the proposed reforms aim to strengthen school readiness, address workforce participation barriers and respond to cost-of-living pressures facing Tasmanian families.

According to Tasmanian Labor, approximately 40 per cent of three-year-olds in the state are not currently enrolled in early education programs. The party has linked this participation gap to below-national-average NAPLAN performance and concerns about children commencing formal schooling without foundational literacy, numeracy and self-regulation skills.

Tasmania also records the lowest workforce participation rate in Australia. Limited access to affordable early learning and care has been identified as a contributing factor, particularly for women seeking to return to work or increase working hours.

The policy platform outlines two primary commitments:

Five-day kindergarten in public schools

Kindergarten would be expanded to five days per week across all Tasmanian public schools. Schools would receive funding to deliver up to 30 hours per week of play-based learning, led by qualified teachers and aligned with early years pedagogy.

Universal pre-school for three-year-olds

The proposal includes subsidising three-year-old programs delivered in long day care settings, reducing out-of-pocket costs for families and increasing participation in the year prior to kindergarten.

The policy positions universal access as a mechanism to improve equity and close developmental gaps before children enter compulsory schooling.

Recognising the capacity implications of expanded access, the plan includes funding for infrastructure upgrades in public schools, including additional classrooms, amenities and out-of-school-hours care facilities.

Long day care services would also receive funding support to expand physical capacity where required.

Workforce supply is identified as a critical enabler. The proposal outlines:

• strengthened training pathways
• targeted incentives
• improved career progression frameworks for teachers and educators
• development of a new pre-school curriculum in partnership with the early years sector

For approved providers, the commitment to universal three-year-old access within long day care settings signals potential growth in demand, alongside workforce and compliance considerations.

Tasmanian Labor has framed the reforms as both social and economic policy, aiming to improve children’s language development, social competence and school readiness, while supporting parents’ workforce participation.

The proposal aligns with broader national conversations around universal early childhood education and care access, affordability reform and system design.

Should the reforms proceed, implementation detail, including funding models, service mix, workforce supply and interaction with the Child Care Subsidy, will be central to sector impact.

Read more: Tasmanian Labor’s 5-Day Kindergarten and Universal Pre-School Plan is available at: https://taslabor.org.au/our-plan/5-day-kindergarten/