Thrive by Five welcomes Tasmanian Government’s expansion of free early learning program
26 August 2022 – Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five has welcomed the Tasmanian Government’s commitment to expand access to three-year-old preschool across the state over the coming years.
The State Government this week announced it will expand the delivery of universal three year old preschool by expanding its delivery to Child and Family Learning Centres by 2024, under its Working Together Program. Further, the Tasmanian Government committed to explore how three-year-old kindergarten can be delivered on a school site or at a local library, in areas where there are no Child and Family Learning Centres. Tasmania currently has 12 Child and Family Learning Centres.
The Tasmanian government’s promise aligns with Thrive by Five’s call for universally accessible early learning that supports families and their children’s development in the early years.
The first five years are critical for a child’s development. Having the option to access free early childhood education will benefit many children by positively impacting their social, physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, and setting them up for their lifelong learning journey.
Thrive by Five Director Jay Weatherill said, “Thrive by Five welcomes the Tasmanian Government’s announcement today and its positive steps towards giving more families the option to access high-quality early learning for their children.
“Providing free access under the Working Together Program will not only ease the pressure on family budgets during these economically difficult times, it will also give parents and carers, mainly women, further flexibility of choosing to return to work or increase their number of work hours.
“We also acknowledge the Tasmanian Government’s recognition of the need for a strong early childhood educator workforce for the program to be effective.
“The full advantage of this commitment will only be realised if there’s a qualified and supported workforce to deliver high-quality early learning.
“This is a life-changing development for many Tasmanian children and families. By making this promise, the Tasmanian Government has a great opportunity to collaborate with the Federal Government towards universally accessible, high-quality and affordable early childhood education and care for all three year old children.” Mr. Weatherill said.
