In the May 2018 budget, the federal coalition government said it will cut federal funding for kindergartens after December 2019.

Since 2013, Australia’s federal, state and territory governments have agreed to jointly fund kinder for all Australian 4-year-olds. The federal government contributes around one-third of total funding.

As a result of this national agreement, enrollments have improved and almost all 4-year-old children are now enrolled in 15 or more hours of kindergarten per week.

If the Federal government cuts their current funding, families would on average need to find an extra $2,000* per child per year to cover that cost.  For many children this will mean they will simply miss out on valuable early childhood education.

On 3 October 2018, the Federal Labor Party pledged to continue ongoing federal funding for four-year-old kindergarten, if elected.

The I Love Kinder campaign is calling on the federal coalition to match this commitment on an ongoing basis so that parents can have confidence that their children will get the education they need and deserve.

Please support the campaign by signing the petition, liking us on Facebook, and sharing the campaign with your friends on Instagram and Twitter with #ilovekinder.

Let's show Mr Morrison just how much we love kinder.

For further information on the I Love Kinder campaign see our Background Briefing.

Footnote

*The average of around $2,000 per child per year is based on the average of the following two costs:
 

1. Parents having to cover the loss of the National Partnership Agreement funding of $870 million over two years, which, with an annual number of 4 and 5 year old children in preschool (whether government or not) is around 371,000 (based on the 2017 figures). This amounts to $1,165 per child per year.
 

2. The cost of transferring to childcare to accommodate their child. Childcare costs up to an estimated $75 for 5 hours, so over 42 weeks that’s $3,150 per year.