It is that time of the year and Mudgee Preschool is again in the unenviable position of having to turn away parents seeking to enrol their children in its early childhood education and care program in 2015.
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Mudgee Preschool director Rosie Gibbs said place have been allocated in accordance with the Priority of Access Policy which prioritises:
- Children who are at least 4 years old on or before July 31 in that preschool year and not yet in compulsory schooling;
- Children who are at least 3 years old on or before July 31 and from a disadvantaged background (ie from a family holding a low income Health Care Card and/or is Aboriginal);
- Children who have English as a second language; and
- Children with disabilities.
Currently all children enrolled at preschool are eligible for school the following year.
“Mudgee Preschool is a not-for-profit organisation and as such is highly dependent upon operational funding from the State Government,” Ms Gibbs said.
“It does not have the capacity to provide every child in Mudgee with 15 hours of preschool education per week. This is the optimum number of hours of preschool education for children in the year before school agreed upon in 2009 by the National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education.
"It does not have the capacity to provide every child in Mudgee with 15 hours of preschool education per week."
“It is also important to know that the State Government has adopted the Brennan Report (Review of NSW Government Funding for Early Childhood Education; 2012; www.det.nsw.edu.au) which was a review of early childhood education and care in NSW.
“The recommendations from this review are that ‘all children have access to quality early childhood education in the year before school, across a range of settings, in a form that meets the needs of parents, and at a price that does not create a barrier to access’,”
Ms Gibbs said many parents who have not obtained a position for their child at Mudgee Preschool may have access to a preschool program in another setting, for example a long day /child care centre.
“During the past few years Mid-Western Regional Council (MWRC) and Mudgee Preschool have actively been pursuing funding opportunities and lobbying for a new early childhood education and care centre to provide additional preschool places in Mudgee,” Ms Gibbs said.
“As a result we were very pleased when MWRC recently received $1million from the Restart NSW Cobbora Transition Fund for the development of an early childhood hub in Mudgee.
“It is planned that the facility will include an additional 40 preschool places as well as facilities to support the delivery of early childhood intervention services across the Mid-Western Region.
“The MWRC, together with Mudgee Preschool will continue to lobby the NSW Department of Education and Communities to ensure that it meets its commitment to provide universal access to a preschool program for 15 hours per week for every child in the year before school.”
“Families who are concerned about preschool places are encouraged to write to our local member, Andrew Gee or to the Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, urging their support for the funding of the new facility.
Open day on Sunday
Mudgee Pre-School is having an Open Day on Sunday, 14 September between 10am and 12noon.
The open day is an opportunity for families and the community to enjoy and explore the learning and teaching that happens in our services at the corner of Lovejoy/Perry Streets and at the South Mudgee Campus, 180 Church Street. All are welcome.
