State or territory % 3yo in programs delivered by an ECT
Policy and funding arrangements
New South
Wales 38.2%
New South Wales has a substantially higher proportion of 3-year-old children attending preschool programs, in part because of a history of employing more early childhood teachers in preschool and Long Day Care settings.
Under NSW’s funding model, 3 year olds attending community preschools are eligible for the same per-child subsidy rate as 4 year olds if they are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or hold a Health Care Card (NSW Government 2016). Some community preschools charge fees for non-subsidised 3 year olds. A review of the impact of the new funding model found that overall enrolments of target cohort children increased by 2 per cent between 2013 and 2014, and enrolments of Aboriginal children and children from low-income families increased by 5 per cent (NSW Department of Education 2016c). The Supporting Children with Additional Needs program is targeted at children with disability aged 3-5 and supports access to early education and care and preschool (NSW Government 2016).
Preschool grants made to Long Day Care centres are only for children in the year before school, not 3 year olds.
Victoria 7.1%25 The Early Start Kindergarten program provides up to 15 hours of free or low cost preschool (delivered by an ECT) to 3-
25 Victorian data for preschool programs not provided in long day care centres only include 3 year old children who have been approved to attend funded 4 year old
kindergarten programs, and so do not include children in other programs for 3 year olds (Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision 2016a)
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year-old Aboriginal children and 3-year-old children who have been in contact with child protection or referred to the early intervention service, ChildFIRST. The programs are delivered in a mixed-age group or as part of a year before school program (Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development 2016; Victorian Department of Education and Training 2016a).
Established in 2010, the program has been relatively successful in boosting participation of Aboriginal children (from 258 in 2010 to 462 in 2014), although state-wide data indicates that it appears to be less effective in engaging the estimated 2000 children eligible under the child protection measure (with only 329 participating in 2014, up from 205 in 2010) (Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring System 2016).26
In Victoria, 75 per cent of local councils operate some form of preschool program for 3 year olds (MAV 2015). There appears to be no information available on the types of programs operating or the number of children participating, although a 2009 government report estimated that there were around 1000 preschool programs operating in Victoria for 3 year olds. These programs had a median session length of 2.75 hours, operated across a range of settings, and were mostly funded through parent fees (Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development 2009). It is unclear how many children accessed these services.
Queensland 15.7%
Where spaces are available in the 4 year old kindergarten program, parents can access a kindergarten program for their 3 year old. However, 3 year old children are not eligible for state government subsidies so the out-of-pocket cost is high. Queensland has a few providers of fee-based dedicated 3 year old kindergarten programs. These services usually also offer the funded four year kindergarten program.
South
Australia 16.6%
All Aboriginal children and children under guardianship of the Minister (i.e. in child protection) are funded to attend a preschool program once they turn 3.
All children are able to start their 'year before school' program one term, for one session a week, if they attending a government preschool. This is intended to provide an introduction to preschool.
Children with additional needs may access up to two terms of preschool prior to commencing in their eligible year of preschool if a preschool has the capacity within existing resources.
26 Note: To avoid double counting enrolments, where children are eligible as both Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and known to Child Protection, the grant is applied as
an Aboriginal Early Start Kindergarten grant and counted once (Victorian Department of Education and Training 2015b, p. 96).
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Western
Australia 21.5%
In WA, 3 year old kindergarten programs are largely privately provided (either through Long Day Care centres, community agencies, local government or non-government schools).
A large number of non-government schools in WA offer a 3 year old program to children in their local community(Catholic Education Office Western Australia 2016).
The relatively new KindiLink programme provides Aboriginal 3 year olds with supported playgroup sessions for six hours per week. Kindilink is jointly delivered by an early childhood teacher and an Aboriginal assistant. They work with families to support children's learning. It is free and operates for six hours per week in 37 public schools which have a high number and proportion of Indigenous enrolments (AEDC 2015).
Tasmania 5.0%
Tasmania has a cross-sectoral policy on admitting highly gifted 3.5 year olds and children transferring from interstate into funded ‘year before school’ programs, which are largely co-located with primary schools (Tasmanian Department of Education 2015).
There is currently a proposal to lower the school entry age to 4.5 years, which may result in expanded access to preschool for 3.5-year-old children.
Tasmania’s Launching into Learning program provides resources to all government schools to develop initiatives with families and communities to support early learning (birth to 4), with a curriculum underpinned by the EYLF and a focus on engaging other local services to support child learning and family wellbeing (Tasmanian Department of Education 2013; Tasmanian Government n.d.).
Northern
Territory 14.3%
The NT provides free preschool for all 3 year olds in remote and very remote communities, an initiative primarily targeted at Aboriginal children.
A key action in the NT’s ‘Great Start Great Future’ strategic plan for early childhood is “investigating the options for
expanding 3-year old preschool to all vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the Northern Territory” (Northern Territory Government 2016).
Australian Capital
Territory 19.0%
The ACT Government also funds free Koori preschool programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 3-5 years in the ACT. The ACT has a number of community established and run(fee-based) ‘playschools’ that provide
programs for 3 year olds that may be delivered by an Early Childhood teacher. Some government and non-government schools also run 3-year-old programs.