Applications open for community preschool funding

Community preschools in Harden and across the Cootamundra electorate are being encouraged to apply for funding from the NSW Government’s Start Strong Capital Works Grants program.

The program is designed to create additional places for children on waitlists by providing funding for not-for-profit preschools to build, renovate or extend facilities, or purchase a vehicle for a mobile preschool.

Grants are available in five categories, including construction of a new centre based community preschool facility, extending an existing centre based community preschool facility, renovating existing or new premises for a centre based preschool, purchase of replacement vehicles for existing mobile preschools and responding to crisis situations.

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the NSW Government understands preschool is incredibly important to a child’s development and their performance later in their schooling. “Preschool is so vital to give our littlest learners their best start, we are helping to meet the growing demand for more places in preschools with these grants and we’re also supporting jobs in the construction industry during this time of economic recovery,” Ms Cooke said.

“This funding will ensure even more children in NSW have access to 600 hours of quality early childhood education in the year before school, giving them the social, cognitive and emotional skills to transition to school as well as benefiting them in the longer term.”

Applications are open now and will close on the 23rd of August, 2020. For more information, visit the Department of Education website at https://education.nsw.gov.au/early-childhood-education/operating-an-early-childhood-education-service/grants-and-funded-programs/capital-works-grants

• Topics:

• Education
• Grant / Funding
• Steph Cooke