Thursday, 9 February 2023

Early childhood education

Meng Heang TAK (Clarinda) (17:26): (38) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep. The action I seek is for the minister to provide the latest update on the Andrews Labor government’s Best Start, Best Life reform and what this historic reform means for my constituents in Clarinda. Last week thousands of kids across Clarinda and across Victoria started their early childhood education. What a wonderful and exciting time for all of those children and all of those families, and I wish everyone the best for the school year.

I am extremely proud that so many families will benefit from the Andrews Labor government’s free kinder initiative in its first year. The Best Start, Best Life reform will see children enrolled in three-year-old kindergarten receive between 5 and 15 hours of funded learning each week this year, and those in four-year-old kindergarten will receive 15 hours per week. With the rising cost of living, we know childcare fees have been crippling family budgets, and for so many families in my electorate these are game-changing reforms. What is more, they will help each child reach their full potential and give every child the best start in their life. The minister has also announced the rollout of the schedule for pre-prep, a universal 30-hour-a-week program for play-based learning available to every four-year-old child in Victoria by 2032. I am excited to learn more. I thank the minister for delivering these incredible reforms, and I look forward to her response.