Funding for children with high learning support needs enrolled in NSW Community Preschools is provided to develop and deliver each child’s Individual Learning Plan (ILP).
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $15,984
- Application opened: 7 December 2024
- Application closed: 21 February 2025, 5:00 pm
Program objective
High Learning Support Needs (HLSN) is a component of the Disability and Inclusion Program for NSW Community Preschools.
The program aims to:
- increase the capacity of the early childhood education sector to include children with disability and additional needs on the same basis as their peers
- support equitable education outcomes for children with disability and additional needs during their attendance at preschool and as they transition to school
- align with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in NSW (the NDIS provides functional support, and this program provides educational support)
- target funding to children who have high learning support needs.
This program is funded and administered by Department of Education.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this funding, service eligibility and child eligibility criteria are applied. All applications will be considered by the Department on a case by case basis.
Service eligibility criteria
This funding is available only for community preschools (including mobile preschools) who are currently in receipt of NSW Start Strong for Community Preschools funding or the Mobile Preschools Funding Program.
Child eligibility criteria
To be eligible for this funding, the child must:
- be at least 3 years old on or before 31 July in that preschool year and not in compulsory schooling; or
- turn at least 3 years old after 31 July in that preschool year and demonstrate exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances include, but are not limited to, any child or family that experiences out-of-home or alternative care arrangements, isolation, violence, and trauma, mental health issues, environmental disasters or other crises.
The child must also have high learning support needs as defined in these program guidelines.
Children with high learning support needs:
- have constant and ongoing support needs and require significant adjustments, or a temporary illness or injury that requires short-term adjustment, to enable participation in the educational program on the same basis as their peers
- require an ILP that identifies individual goals and the specific teaching strategies and adjustments required to achieve these
- require consistent support and guidance to engage at the same level as their peers.
Priority Payments
A HLSN application can be considered for a priority payment where assessment determines that there is an urgent need to support and supervise the child due to:
- significant safety concerns for the child and/or other children, and/or staff at the preschool,
- the significant safety concerns box is selected in the child’s application in ECCMS, and
- the application is submitted within the first four weeks of the Quarter 2, 3 or 4 application periods.
Examples of safety concerns may include, but are not limited to:
- injuries to self and/or other children/staff
- absconding from environments and/or the preschool premises
- aggressive actions such as hitting, kicking, biting, spitting, climbing or throwing furniture
- staff require additional resources to manage aspects of the child’s condition to support full enrolment.
A priority payment is made outside of the regular quarterly payment schedule. Subsequent payments for these applications will return to the normal quarterly payment schedule.
Priority payment is not available for children funded in previous years at the service.
Funding
Community preschools can apply for funding for a child with high learning support needs up to a total of $15,984 (ex GST) per child per year. This funding is provided at a rate of $26.64 (ex GST) per hour for the equivalent of up to 600 hours of support per child per year.
2025 HLSN Quarter 2 Priority Payment Recipients
In March 2025, $169,4961 was distributed to 18 Community Preschool service providers (service providers)2 in 8 Local Health Districts3.
Service providers in the following LHDs received funding during March 2025: Central Coast, Far West, Hunter New England, Illawarra Shoalhaven, Northern NSW, Northern Sydney, South Eastern Sydney, South Western Sydney.
The names of grant recipients have been removed for privacy purposes. More information about privacy
Notes:
- The total funds distributed in March 2025 is the total of all grants made in the Quarter 2 priority payment round, for eligible applications submitted by NSW Community Preschools.
- Payments are made to service providers who distribute funds to NSW Community Preschool services under their control (according to the eligibility criteria and funding hours requested for each child). Variations may result in a change in a preschool’s funding allocation throughout the program year. In such cases a funding adjustment will be applied to the preschool’s next payment or by return of funds to the department.
- Locations of grant recipients are based on the locations of service providers according to NSW Local Health Districts or interstate regions (Out of NSW).
Agency funding this grant:
Department of Education
Funding was approved under delegation by:
- Manager, Disability Inclusion, Equity and Inclusion, Quality Participation and Connections, Early Childhood Outcomes
Program term: Funding must be expended in the year it was allocated for.
What your application needs to include
For full application details, download the 2025 High Learning Support Needs Funding Guidelines
The applications require:
- a written diagnosis or NDIS plan or preschool observations
- details of how the child functions in the preschool environment. Consider the child’s strengths and needs in relation to the developmental domains and the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) outcomes
- details of current and proposed adjustments that enable the child to participate in the educational program on the same basis as their peers. This may include adult guidance, teaching strategies, or environmental modifications
- notification of the number of weeks the child is enrolled at the preschool, excluding the weeks the preschool is closed for school holidays.
Start the application
Applications for 2025 HLSN Quarter 2 Priority Payments have closed.
Applications and variations to applications for 2025 can be made on a per child basis in the Early Childhood Contract Management System (ECCMS).
There are multiple application rounds each year. Details are available in the 2025 HLSN funding program guidelines.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: NSW Department of Education (the Department)
The Department will individually assess all applications. Where required, the Department may seek further information from preschools about their application.
Providers will be notified of assessment outcomes for each application, and their funding allocation via email. Providers will be informed that funding notifications have been sent to providers via the 'Early Childhood Education Weekly Update' email.
Applications are assessed for eligibility according to the 2025 HLSN funding program guidelines. When an application has been assessed as ineligible, the individual spreadsheet provided to each provider at the time of notification will indicate the relevant section of the guidelines for reference as the reason for ineligibility.
Support and contact
For questions, feedback or complaints about the Disability Inclusion Program, please contact the department by:
- calling 1800 619 113
- emailing ecec.funding@det.nsw.edu.au.