Federal Labor pledges to extended three-year-old kinder

LABOR has pledged to give every child access to three-year-old kinder if the party wins the next federal election.

Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education Amanda Rishworth and Labor candidate for Corangamite Libby Coker visited the Grovedale South Good Start childcare centre last week to discuss the commitment.

The $1.75 million pledge would create a two-year National Preschool and Kindy Program, with all three-year-olds able to get access to 15 hours of subsidised early childhood education from 2021 and the existing arrangements extended for four-year-olds.

Labor says the federal Coalition has not yet extended preschool funding for four-year-olds beyond the next school year, which would affect 2,808 preschool children in the Corangamite electorate.

“Labor’s investment in early childhood education will ensure every child in Australia will get the best possible start in life”, Ms Coker said.

“Unlike Sarah Henderson and the Liberals, we are committed to making sure that every child, regardless of their background, will get access to both three and four-year-old kinder.

“The National Preschool and Kindy Program is the biggest investment in early childhood education in Australia’s history and will create quality, two-year programs that will boost development in the most important years of a child’s development.”