The state government is calling it the biggest reform to NSW community preschools ever undertaken and a revised funding model for 2014 has been met by early approval from one of Dubbo's preschools.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dubbo and District Preschool director Louise Simpson has welcomed the funding increases and is pleased some of the recommendations from the Brennan Report have been adopted.
She said there were some deficiencies and was not sure if other preschools would benefit as much as hers .
"I think it's a good move. There are increases for our preschool but it is going to vary across the state," Ms Simpson said.
"It definitely means a reduction in fees for the year before school. Our full fees this year have been $33 and we have had government subsidies that have reduced that to $21 a day.
"We will have to sit down and work out what the new finding will do for our fees for 2014."
While four and five-year-olds who are getting ready for school are winners, the decision not to subsidise all three-year-old children could cause some headaches.
"It is going to be tricky for us. Three-year-olds won't be funded unless they are from a low-socio economic or Aboriginal background. At the moment we have two classes of three-year-olds so we will have to look at that and decide what to do for next year," Ms Simpson said.
Ms Simpson said Dubbo and District Preschool will sit down soon and work out their rates for 2014, which she is hoping to keep low because she wants to see all children getting access to preschool.
"I think the positive thing is all governments are realising that a good preschool education is important," he said.
"The problem is that even at $33 a day, preschool is still unaffordable for some people. We offer subsidies, if people are on a health care card or pension, and those reduce the cost to as little as $5 a day."
Member for Dubbo Troy Grant is confident the funding increases will be a major boost for all preschools.
"The additional funding delivered through the new Preschool Funding Model will provide increased base subsidies for children aged four and five in their year before school and three year old children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Dubbo electorate," he said.