The NSW Government is still on track to deliver a new preschool in Deniliquin by 2027.
Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos has today announced that a contractor has been appointed to deliver the long-awaited project.
Zauner Construction Pty Ltd will also deliver new preschools at Beelbangera, Hanwood and Leeton by next year.
While an exact start date has not been announced, the minister’s office said it would be “later this year”, and that doors should open in early 2027 as planned.
The new preschool will be co-located with Deniliquin South School, and will be a welcome relief to parents of young children.
Early childhood vacancies are rare in Deniliquin, and a lack of places has been an ongoing issue and area of concern for the past few years.
A report commissioned by River Regional Early Education last year, and made public in December, indicated that 69 per cent of local children do not have access to early childhood education.
The report highlighted that in the 2023 Census there were 738 children aged 0-4 years in the Edward River Council area, but only 232 early learning places available in Deniliquin - including preschool, family day care and childcare services.
Ms Houssos acknowledged the difficulty being felt in Deniliquin, and across the state.
“The Minns Labor Government, with the advocacy of Deputy Premier Prue Car, is committed to improving access to free quality public preschool for our youngest learners because we know how crucial early learning is for a child’s development,” she said.
“Access to preschool can be difficult for young families, particularly in regional areas, which is why we are delivering four new public preschools across the Riverina in areas where they are needed most.
“The former Liberal National government failed to deliver for young families in the regions and didn’t build a single new public preschool while in office.
“The Minns Labor Government made this historic commitment to deliver the biggest expansion in public preschools in New South Wales’ history because we strongly believe all children should have access to high-quality early education, no matter their postcode.”
The new preschool in south Deniliquin is expected to provide an additional 80 places.
The development application for another childcare centre was also put to Edward River Council in August 2023, but there appears to have been no progress on that project since.
The NSW Government said the delivery of the Deniliquin preschool, and others across the state, would bring hundreds of families across the Riverina a step closer to accessing fee-free, high-quality early learning.
Each is being co-located with an existing public primary school, making drop-off and pick up easier for busy families and helping children transition into Kindergarten with confidence.
Once open, the four sites within the Riverina will cater for up to 320 local children a week, with that number divided equally between the four preschool.
They are among 100 being delivered across the state. 51 are in metropolitan Sydney and 49 are in regional New South Wales, prioritised in areas of highest need based on a rigorous selection process.