We know the first few years of a child’s life are incredibly important and play a major role in their future. I've spoken about this frequently in Parliament and often referred to the research of Dr Michael Marmott, that demonstrates that a child who engages in education and stays engaged longer will have higher lifetime health outcomes. 

That is why I support our early childhood educators and take time each year in Book Week to visit every childcare Centre and Kindy to encourage reading.  

The Palaszczuk Government is investing a record $1 billion to make regular kindy free or supported for 40,000 Queensland children.

This significant overhaul will increase the Queensland Government’s annual investment in kindy from $130 million to $211 million each year.

Our kindy’s are world class, but they also need to be affordable too. We know that the cost of kindy is a huge barrier for many children and a great burden for working families.

40,000 Queensland children will benefit from reduced fees regardless of whether they attend a community kindergarten or kindy in a long day care. The overhaul includes:

• Free kindy for 14,000 Queensland children
• Reduced fees for a further 26,000 Queensland children
• Doubling the Kindy Uplift program from 400 to 930 services to personalise programs and employ dedicated support workers
• $38.5 million to help remote and regional services attract and retain early childhood teachers
• And $95 million in support for families with children who have a disability

We’re investing in our youngest Queenslanders, we’re investing in our families, and we’re investing in our state’s future.

To find out how much your family can save - Contact Joe.