- 90% of a child’s brain development occurs by age 5.
- According to data from the 2021 Australian Early Development Census, 40% of children are not developmentally on track when they start primary school.
- A 2021 report from the Mitchell Institute (PDF 1,072 KB) found that 39% of families in Australia think that ECEC is unaffordable.
- NSW Treasury have identified (PDF 1,908 KB) accessible ECEC as a key enabler to increase workforce participation, especially for women. Wider ECEC accessibility will deliver benefits to the NSW economy.
ECEC in NSW
The NSW Department of Education is working to strengthen and grow the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector.
The importance of quality early childhood education and care
Research shows that most of a child’s brain development occurs by the age of 5. Children learn millions of things about themselves and the world around them in the first few years of life. Discover more about brain development in young children.
The ECEC sector in NSW is responsible for providing approximately 500,000 children with quality learning experiences, helping to build crucial physical, social, emotional and cognitive skills before they start school.
The first 5 years of life have a big impact on a child’s long-term education, health and social outcomes. Discover trusted NSW Government and Australian Government services and resources for pregnancy through to age 5 on the Brighter Beginnings Parent and Carer Information Hub.
Making a difference
Our commitments
We have made a strong start to strength early learning across the state and are working hard to:
- fund and deliver initiatives and programs that increase access to ECEC for children across the state
- deliver programs that grow, retain and upskill the ECEC workforce
- create universal access to preschool
- implement health and development checks in ECEC services
- deliver exceptional ECEC across NSW.
There is a national agenda to strengthen and grow ECEC in the coming decade. The foundations are in place to grow a strong and sustainable early childhood sector in NSW.
Our purpose
We place children at the centre of what we do and are committed to giving all children the best start in life and learning.
There are over 6,000 ECEC services operating across NSW. This includes*:
- long day care/centre-based day care (3,519)
- preschool / kindergarten (767)
- family day care (116)
- public preschools (99), with 100 more being built by 2027
- mobile services (41)
- outside school hours care services (1,577)
- out of scope services (78).
*Data source – National Quality Agenda IT System as at April 2024
Delivering on commitments
The department aims to deliver quality outcomes for children, families and the ECEC workforce. We are working to give all families in NSW access to affordable, safe, inclusive and quality ECEC.
A valued, engaged and high performing workforce is critical to delivering great services to children and families. There are approximately 80,000 people employed in the sector, delivering a wide variety of education, care and support work. ECEC professionals use their expertise in child development and quality, play-based learning to make all the differences to the lives of children, families and communities.
Learn more about the workforce initiatives the department is rolling out to support ECEC professionals in NSW.
The department's role in ECEC in NSW
The department serves 3 main functions in NSW’s ECEC system as part of our commitment to providing high quality ECEC for every child in NSW.
The department plays a key role in delivering programs to support improved outcomes for children, families and the ECEC workforce. Focus areas include:
The department provides funding for a range of service types to increase access and participation in ECEC. This includes Start Strong funding and fee relief for families.
Find out more about a range of grants and funded programs, including current opportunities for support.
The department currently operates 99 public preschools and 2 distance education services.
Public preschools aim to provide quality preschool services for the most disadvantaged children in the local community, that support universal access to high-quality early childhood education in the year prior to school.
You can read more information including how to enrol on our website.
How to talk about ECEC
The language we use to talk about early learning and out of school hours care (OOSH) plays an important role in shaping perceptions of the sector.
The ‘How to talk about early childhood education and care’ guide, developed by Early Childhood Australia, and ‘How to talk about outside school hours care’ guide, developed by NOSHSA, identify affirmative, accurate language to describe the work of early learning and OOSH professionals and services and encourages consistent use of this terminology.
The guides, which are endorsed by all state and territory governments, highlight the need to replace outdated terms that do not reflect the importance of the early learning sector – for example, using ‘educator or early childhood teacher’ instead of ‘childcare worker.’ This language recognises the professionalism of the workforce across all education and care settings, including preschool, long day care, family day care, in-home care, mobile services, out of school hours care and vacation care.
The NSW Early Learning Commission began operation as the independent regulator for early childhood education and care (ECEC) in New South Wales on 1 December 2025. The NSW Early Learning Commission is responsible for regulating over 6,000 ECEC services across NSW to ensure they meet stringent standards of safety, quality, and compliance.
The Commission is moving to a new website within nsw.gov.au. All online content, resources and guidance developed by the NSW Early Learning Commission will be moved across from the Department of Education to nsw.gov.au throughout 2026. Visit NSW Early Learning Commission.
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Last modified date
07/07/2026
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