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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy

Declining number of Australian children attending preschool sparks calls for universal free childcare

Australia Lisa Bryant the Department of Education
Childcare
Of those enrolled, just one in four parents were accessing free childcare and three in 10 were paying $5 or more per hour for preschool programs. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Experts have renewed calls for universal free childcare after data revealed the number of children attending preschool is on the decline.

The data, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday, found 4,575 fewer children were enrolled in childcare programs in 2022 compared with the previous year – a 1.3% decrease.

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