A Sloane Liberal and Nationals Government will deliver high-quality and safe preschool education for children and their families across NSW by winding back Labor’s cruel cuts and restoring funding certainty.
The Minns Labor Government has gutted the Start Strong framework from 31 December 2026 and replaced it with separate opaque and insufficient funding arrangements for community preschools and long day care services.
Families and educators on the Central Coast have been condemning Labor’s changes, saying they undermine quality and safety for preschool aged children and threaten the viability of early education across NSW.
Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch said Labor’s approach was creating uncertainty for local families and educators.
“Families across our region deserve confidence that their children can access affordable, high-quality preschool education close to home,” Mr Crouch said.
“Our local preschools and long day care centres like Kinburra Preschool and Pretty Beach Preschool play a crucial role in childhood development. We should be supporting these providers and educators who deliver that vital early learning, not cutting the funding they rely on.”
Mr Crouch said he had met with community preschool providers in his electorate, who had been clear about the damage these cuts would do to families.
“I’ve sat down with our local preschool providers and heard firsthand their concerns about what these cuts mean for the quality and future of their services,” Mr Crouch said.
“We are committed to standing with our community preschools, educators and families to reverse these cuts because it’s absolutely the right thing to do.”
NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said the Liberals and Nationals will support fair pay for educators and provide quality preschool education for families.
“A NSW Liberals and Nationals Government will reverse Labor’s cuts to the Start Strong funding arrangements for both community preschools and long day care services,” Ms Sloane said.
“Stakeholders have said cutting the program is bad policy and will impact the quality and viability of preschool education for 170,000 children across NSW. Once again Labor is ignoring that important feedback.”
Shadow Minister for Early Education Felicity Wilson said families, educators and providers across the state had made their concerns clear and been ignored by this Labor Government.
“We’ve heard from parents, educators, and providers in communities right across NSW, and the message is consistent: they are worried about what Labor’s changes mean for quality, affordability and choice,” Ms Wilson said.
Our plan for early learning is to:
- Reinstate the Start Strong program:
- Replacing Labor’s insufficient and opaque funding methodology for community preschools.
- Providing funding for the preschool program payments for approved long day care preschool programs, ensuring the 72 per cent of preschool-aged children in long day care settings don’t miss out.
- Negotiate in good faith with community preschool educators on a fair wage increase, reversing Labor’s failure to follow instructions from the Fair Work Commission.
- Ensure appropriate allocation of the former Liberals and National Government’s landmark $5 billion Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund to deliver the early learning that our children and families need.