Steve Whan
Minister for Skills, TAFE, and Tertiary Education
Member for Monaro

Media Release
Three new Government Pre-Schools for Monaro

Monday, 19 February 2024

Member for Monaro, Steve Whan says the announcement of new Government co-located preschools at Queanbeyan East, Queanbeyan South, and Jindabyne Public Schools is great news for Monaro families and a vital boost to early childhood education.

A record $769 million is being invested to build the 100 new public preschools across NSW, including three in the Monaro electorate, all to be built over the next three years.

Steve Whan said "after more than a decade of decline in educational outcomes, the NSW Government is prioritising quality education in the early years, giving every child the best start for success.

"Co-locating public preschools with existing schools will ensure children are ready for kindergarten and will assist busy working families with cost-of-living pressures, help avoid the double drop off, and make the transition to school as seamless as possible. 

"This is a vital commitment to growing communities. The shortage of pre-school places is not new, and for a decade very little was done to address it. We've got a lot of young families in Queanbeyan and Jindabyne and this improvement in access will deliver their kids the best possible introduction into the education system.

"By investing in 100 new public preschools and building three right here in Monaro, we are sending a clear message that our children's education is a top priority for this government. 

"Co-locating the preschools with primary schools will create education hubs that will benefit students and their families and ensures that our schools are at the heart of our neighbourhoods.

"We have some terrific community-based pre-schools in Monaro, but the demand outstrips their capacity and with our Labor focus on early childhood education we do expect demand to keep rising. 

"This wonderful announcement will mean so much to a large portion of our community, and i look forward to seeing the doors open in just a few years."

This is part of the NSW Labor Government's historic investment in early childhood education, which includes a $60 million commitment to build and upgrade 50 preschools on non-government school sites in areas of greatest educational need. The NSW Government has also committed up to $29.4 million to expand the number of early childhood workers in NSW through a scholarship program which has seen a record number of applications. The Government has also provided $17 million to support capital works for early childhood services in areas of need.