Thrive by Five welcomes Queensland Government’s significant $1 Billion investment in Early Childhood Sector over the next five years
1 November 2022: Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five initiative has urged parents to check if they are one of the 40,000 families eligible for cheap or free kindergarten from next year as the Queensland Government unveils the details of its $1 billion investment into early childhood education. In February the Queensland Government announced it will invest $1 billion into early childhood education to make it more accessible for families. From this week, families will be able to check If they are eligible for free or subsidised kindergarten from next year under its ‘Kindy Plus’ program.
Under the new model, 70 per cent of Queensland families accessing childcare will be eligible for a reduction in their fees, while kindergarten will be free for 14,000 vulnerable and disadvantaged children.[1]
The program will be aimed at low-and-middle income families, with households earning
$60,000 annually and holding an Australian Government Health Care Card on track to save an average of $4,500 a year.
Thrive by Five Director Jay Weatherill said, “Queensland families can now check if they are eligible for significantly subsidised kindergarten from 2023.
“We welcome the Queensland Government’s goal of 100% participation of children attending kindergarten, up from the current rate of 95%.
“We know the size of a child’s brain reaches 90 per cent the size of an adult’s by the age of five. Early learning is critical for a child’s brain and social development, with impacts on lifelong learning and wellbeing.
“Providing subsidised and free kindergarten to 70 per cent of Queensland families is a good first step to ensure early learning is accessible and affordable for parents.
“The Queensland Government should work together with its state and federal counterparts to ensure momentum continues to build for a high-quality, universally accessible and affordable early learning system for all Australian children,” he said.
[1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-30/qld-kindergarten-costs-explainer/101594868