Page 4185 - Week 11 - Thursday, 17 Sept 2009
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been providing excellent childcare for more than 100 years. We are pleased to have such quality childcare professionals on board in each of these early childhood schools.
These are great schools. They ensure that every child learns. These are schools that the staff are proud of and that their communities are proud of. This was very clear from the great turnout at the community open days on the weekend. I would like to congratulate the principals and staff and also Kathy Melsom and her team at the department of education who have worked so hard to ensure that these new schools are established. We look forward to the official opening of the Lyons early childhood school in the new year.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Porter, a supplementary question?
MS PORTER: Can the minister advise the Assembly how the territory government is working with the federal Labor government to advance this agenda for the benefit of all Canberra children?
MR BARR: We know that the quality of learning experiences during the early years of a child’s life really do set the stage for future learning and development; so it is very pleasing today that the federal Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, Kate Ellis, announced that the ACT will receive nearly $13½ million to build on our world-class early childhood education system.
Since 2006, the ACT has led the way, providing 12 hours of free, quality preschool education per week. This has led to nearly 90 per cent of eligible students attending preschool in the ACT. This partnership with the commonwealth will see the number of free hours increased to 15 per week. In cooperation with the Rudd Labor government, we have been able to ensure that, from 2009, the early childhood schools have been able to provide 15 hours of free preschool per week.
In 2010, with this new funding, eight additional schools, including Charnwood-Dunlop, Ngunnawal, Florey, Kingsford Smith, North Ainslie, Richardson, Gilmore and Caroline Chisholm will be able to offer the 15-hour commitment. The remainder of the schools will move into this new 15-hour provision over the course of the program that extends until 2013.
Because the government is interested in every child in every school we will also be providing funding for the Holy Family early learning and care centre in Gowrie to be set up as a preschool service—again, proof that the old public versus private debate in education really is over. This will be a pilot looking at service integration and support for child care centres that have children not accessing government-funded preschool services.
This commonwealth support is a vote of confidence in ACT Labor’s education policy. It is a vote of confidence in staff who work with young Canberrans in preschools across the ACT.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, a supplementary question?
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