As many as 11 Hunter Public Schools will have a new preschool built in a state co-location project over the next three years, the Minns government has announced as part of a $769 million investment to build 100 such public preschools by 2027.
The state government has promised to build 49 of the 100 new preschools in regional areas, a commitment which comes after a 2023 election campaign that featured heavily on promises to improve education in the state.
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The 11 Hunter locations at Cessnock, Ellalong, Kearsley, Nulkaba, Maryland, Kurri Kurri, Weston, Booragul, Teralba, Tenambit, Shortland and Gillieston public schools are among public schools on the Central Coast, Illawarra, Southern Highlands and Mid North Coast areas in line to benefit from the project.
The commitment goes hand-in-hand with a $29.4 million promise to increase the number of early childhood workers in NSW through a scholarship program and $17 million to support capital works for existing early childhood educators in areas of need.
"We are committed to universal access to preschool, and today's announcement is an important step towards that," the Premier, Chris Minns, said in a statement on Saturday.
"Investment in quality early childhood education has lifelong benefits for our young kids and is key to getting parents back into the workforce.
"No matter where you live in NSW, you should have access to this essential infrastructure and service; our government is getting on with the job of ensuring that."
The state's education minister, Prue Car, said the Labor government, which swept to power in a landmark election in 2023 that broke a 12-year spell since Labor was in power, understood the value of public education.
"Postcodes should not act as a barrier to accessing the best start in life, and every child should have access to high-quality resources from a young age, including having access to preschool," Ms Car said in the joint statement with Mr Minns and the minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty.
"This investment is the biggest spend on public preschools in NSW history, and I am proud that close to half these new preschools will be in the regions."
In October, six months after winning the election last year, the state government exceeded its goal to turn 16,000 temporary teaching jobs into permanent positions. Over 16,700 teachers, including 216 in the Hunter, have since accepted permanent positions at their current school. But not all in the education sector have been impressed with the Minns government's record.
In August, NSW Teachers accused Labor of walking away from a one-year deal to lift wages for beginning and experienced teachers.
Labor had also promised to build a comprehensive high school for Huntlee, Branxton and Greta students. In January, Maitland mayor Philip Penfold said the "need to provide additional funding" to regional Hunter schools was "important".
However, Labor has boasted its record on education compared to the previous Coalition state government, delivering only one new public preschool after more than a decade in power.
"We have been listening to and learning from families, communities and expert educators and teachers as we work towards universal preschool for every child in NSW," Ms Moriarty said in the joint statement.
"This is a long-term commitment, and we will work with the whole ECEC sector to support quality, equity, and access in a range of settings so that every child gets a strong start in life and learning."
