The Tasmanian Government will invest an additional $3 million to enhance play-based early learning facilities at Tasmanian schools as part of our Education Act reforms.
This $2 million investment in indoor play spaces, and $1 million in outdoor areas is in addition to the more than $100 million already committed to - providing for more teachers, teacher assistants, specialist staff to support children with a disability and improved infrastructure as part of the Education Act changes.
This investment is part of our Government’s commitment to improve educational outcomes by introducing a new voluntary starting age of four and a half years, to allow earlier access to quality, play-based learning for every Tasmanian child.
Importantly, following extensive consultation, the new starting age is voluntary, which means that parents can choose whether to send their children to Prep at four and a half. If they don't feel their child is ready, they can wait until the compulsory starting age of five, which won't change.
Today’s announcement will ensure our early learning spaces provide innovative early learning that fosters curiosity and wonder, and prepares Tasmania’s children for the first years of school.
This will support the specialist work being undertaken by our early childhood teachers and support staff, and ensure our children have a contemporary environment that blends with the natural surrounds, to play, explore and learn.
Early years learning and development in our schools uses play-based experiences in line with the Early Years Learning Framework, and this investment will ensure we continue to develop our play spaces to meet our commitment that all Government kindergartens are to be formally assessed against the National Quality Standards for Early Childhood Education and Care from 2020, just like child care centres are.
Improving educational outcomes is a priority of this government, and our proposed changes to the Education Act represent the most significant transformation of and investment in early learning in more than half a century.
Through these changes, we are making the structural change and targeted investment that is necessary to give every Tasmanian a better education and greater opportunities in life.
This is the next major piece of education reform that we are delivering; it follows our successful high school extension initiative, and precedes changes to the leaving requirements. The Education Act will be tabled this week in Parliament, with a special session of the Legislative Council scheduled for October 18/19.
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