Under Start Strong, only children who meet eligibility criteria will be able to enrol next year funded for no more than 15 hours per week of preschool. 

Priority is given to children in the year before starting school, with a second tier priority given to three year old children who are Aboriginal or from low income families.

Affected preschools include the council-operated Eden Preschool, which has already confirmed it will be cutting its opening to only two days a week from the start of 2018, down from four.

Council’s other facility, Bega’s Bandara Preschool, will only operate during school term and will be permanently cutting its before-school care hours.

From January 2018, Bandara’s preschool program will operate between 8am and 3.30pm during school terms only, with no preschool provided outside of these hours or in school holidays. However, Bandara’s long day care program will continue to operate with longer operating hours and through school holidays.

Preschool places will be capped at 10 children per week, with numbers strictly limited on each day.

Preschool fees at Bandara will rise by $2 per day to accommodate the cost of providing daily cooked meals.

Families requiring more than two days a week  will need to turn to other childcare options such as Bandara’s Long Day Care program.

However, it’s not just council’s two preschools – which receive no council funding and need to be self-sufficient – affected by state funding changes.

BVSC manager for children, family and ageing Kristina Brenner said that under Start Strong, preschools across the state are being forced to re-think their operations. In some instances, preschools have experienced funding cuts associated with low enrolment numbers and many preschools have children enrolled who no longer meet the new eligibility criteria.

“Every preschool that I have spoken to so far in the Bega Valley Shire and wider NSW is changing the way they operate so they can remain viable, as well ensuring that a high quality service continues to be offered to our families and children,” Ms Brenner said.

“Start Strong has a clear focus on providing opportunities for all children in the year before school, as well as offering extra support for vulnerable children from younger age groups. However, under this new model, children who do not fall into these priority areas may be unable to access a preschool place until they reach four years old.”

Director of Bermagui Preschool Narelle Myers said while Start Strong funding offers some advantages, it has also created new challenges for preschools and families.

“There are many outstanding preschools across our shire delivering high quality programs, however most of these services struggle to obtain adequate funding and keep fees affordable. Services have negotiated the changes under Start Strong well, but viability remains an issue for some,” Ms Myers said.

“Families who require more than 15 hours of preschool a week or have unfunded three year olds may not be able to access the preschool hours they need. This is concerning for rural communities and especially working families, those with children with additional needs and those in situations where greater flexibility is needed.” 

Some local preschools have already begun to make changes in line with the Start Strong funding priorities.

Director of Pambula Preschool Pam McCambridge said Pambula increased its operating hours from the start of Term 3 this year so that 15 hours per week could be offered to those children attending two days per week. If the preschool had not made the changes to its hours it would have received only half the funding for those children. 

“Under Start Strong funding we have been able to offer families a fee reduction until the end of the year. A reduction in fees is always welcomed by families and many families are making use of the longer hours. Ultimately the feedback has been very positive,” Ms McCambridge said.

The preschools in the Shire that are funded under the Start Strong model are Bandara Preschool, Bega Preschool, Bermagui Preschool, Cobargo Preschool, Eden Preschool, Pambula Preschool, Tathra Preschool and Rocky Hall Preschool.

“These are big changes and it is important that as we transition into these new arrangements, our families and children feel supported and understand that we will assist them in any way we can,” Ms Brenner said.

Families are encouraged to make contact with their local preschool to find out how the changes may affect them.

Information sessions for the council-run preschools will be held on:

Thursday, September 21, from 5.45-6.45pm at Bandara Preschool.

Friday, September 22, from 5-6pm at Eden Preschool.