Catholic Schools NSW welcomes the NSW Labor Party’s plan to invest $60m in new and expanded preschools co-located on non-government school sites.
Fifty new and expanded preschools are planned at Catholic and Independent schools, in addition to 100 public preschools to be built and co-located at public primary schools.
Catholic Schools NSW Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dallas McInerney, said that Catholic Education is a key partner in delivering this once in a generation reform for our youngest learners and their families.
He added that “the move rightly recognised the role Catholic schools can play in preschool provision, but more infrastructure funding is needed to make universal access to pre-kindergarten accessible and for all families.”
“Approximately 260,000 students educated in NSW are in Catholic schools, so it’s good to see the Labor Party recognise the size and important role that the Catholic school sector can play in improving preschool accessibility and convenience for all, no matter what school parents send their children to.”
“This announcement is a welcome acknowledgment of the non-government sector in the provision of preschool in NSW and we would like to see a commitment from the Government.”
“While this is a step in the right direction, for comparison, in Victoria, the Labor Government committed to investing $250 million to build and upgrade around 60 kindergartens at Catholic and Independent schools, so more is needed.”
“We look forward to working with parties and governments of every persuasion to improve childcare for all people in NSW.”