NEW NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Minister for Early Childhood Education Leslie Williams today welcomed the Commonwealth Government’s offer of a new National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education for 2016 and 2017.

Mrs Williams said that this offer follows constructive negotiations between NSW and the Commonwealth on how the two governments could best support their shared commitment to the ongoing provision of affordable and accessible quality preschool education for all children in the year before school.

“This funding offer recognises the important role a quality early childhood education program plays in providing our young children with the critical cognitive and social foundations to support successful transitions to school,” Mrs Williams said.

“It also offers more funding certainty for NSW preschools, and complements recent NSW initiatives that will strengthen the NSW early childhood education sector and boost access to quality preschool programs.

“I look forward to continuing discussions with the Commonwealth in the coming weeks as we move to finalise the agreement.”