2025 High Learning Support Needs Funding - Quarter 4 Priority Payments

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 the 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.