Corowa Preschool director Chelsea Wright said some preschools may be forced to close because of government funding cuts.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
Corowa Preschool stands to lose $91,581 in government funding in 2027 due to a new Universal Funding Program announced in June this year.
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Child safety and education has become a bargaining chip between community preschools and the NSW Department of Education in stark contrast to claims by Education Minister, Pru Car in May that the government was building a system where child safety and quality were non-negotiable.
Corowa Preschool director Chelsea Wright has been writing to the department since the announcement, looking for answers, and said she’s heard nothing back.
“It seems they’ve had a change of heart and suddenly child safety is negotiable,” Ms Wright said.
“It's really disheartening that they've done this; this is important for their education and care; it should be easy.
“Parents should be able to drop their kids off and know they’re safe, know they’re happy, and know they’re learning and developing; that's all we want.”
Chelsea Wright with educators and children from Corowa Preschool.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
Corowa Preschool is one of many that have gone above and beyond minimum requirements to ensure child safety and quality education, passing Education Department audits to receive the ‘Exceeding’ status.
Ms Wright said government funding was extremely important in being able to maintain the standards because community preschools are limited in how much they can raise their fees.
She said the funding cuts make it difficult to know where to pull money from their budget, “because everything is important”.
“There's not one area you can say we don't need,” Ms Wright said.
“I don't want to be putting up fees for families, it's tough enough as it is with the cost of groceries and fuel, they don't need an extra thing to think about, especially with their children.
“I would hate for my kids to miss out on this experience, so I don't want anyone else to miss out or feel like it's a burden to their family.
“We don't need big budgets, we just need to make sure we can keep educators here and keep them happy, because if they're happy and they're qualified, they're doing a great job.”
Ms Wright and other preschool directors from the Albury electorate have a meeting with Justin Clancy MP on Friday to explore how they can combat the issue.
The Member for Albury has called on the NSW Government to urgently reconsider the funding changes, warning they could undermine the viability of longstanding, not-for-profit preschools that provide high-quality early childhood education.
Ms Wright urges concerned parents and community members to email Premier Chris Minns online here and Education Minister, Pru Car here.
Staff in community preschools across the state are wearing pink every Wednesday to remind the NSW government that fair wages need fair funding.
Department of Education responds to preschool claims
According to the NSW Department of Education, total funding available for community preschools through the Universal Preschool Funding Program and Inclusion Funding Program will be $584M to $642M in 2027, an increase from 2026 of $540M to $625M.
Initial annual funding allocations under the new program, including transition funding, will be available in late November.
A spokesperson for the department said the Universal Preschool program ensures fairer, more consistent and sustainable funding, so families across NSW, including in regional areas, can access high quality, affordable early learning.
“Both 3 and 4-year-old children are fully funded for the first time, and the new guidelines cap preschool program fees at their current rate or a maximum of $20 per day,” they said.
“The new guidelines also mandate above-award wages for the first time.”
The Department of Education said services may be eligible for a funding review if their circumstances change in 2027 and any service requiring assistance with maximising their funding under the program was encouraged to contact the department.
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