Inclusion Readiness funding promotes access and improves the learning, development and wellbeing of children with disability and additional needs in community preschools.
Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: Up to $5,000
- Application opened: 3 November 2025
- Application closes: 22 May 2026, 5:00 pm
Program objective
Inclusive Environments (IE) 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 and support to children who have high learning support needs
- support quality uplift and ensure children have access to high quality early childhood education programs that drive improved outcomes.
This program is funded and administered by Department of Education.
Eligibility
All IE funding is available only for community preschools who are receiving funding under the NSW Start Strong for Community Preschools or the Mobile Preschool Funding Program. In addition, to be eligible for the service-based inclusion readiness funding, the community preschool must:
- not have previously received HLSN or IE funding, under the current or equivalent earlier programs
- not have any children with disability recorded as attending the community preschool in the 2025 Annual Preschool Census or where applicable, an ad hoc data submission in 2025.
Funding
Up to $5,000 (ex GST) per community preschool per year is available for specialised equipment/furniture or environmental modifications.
What your application needs to include
For full application details, download the 2026 IE Funding Guidelines.
Service-based applications for funding to enable a Community Preschool to improve their capacity to include children with disability or additional needs in the future (Inclusion Readiness IE Applications) require:
- a description of specialised equipment/furniture or minor construction that would enable a child/children with disability or additional needs to access, and participate in, the educational program
- an itemised quote/s clearly indicating the breakdown of costs excluding GST. Where GST is not clearly indicated, the department will assume that GST is included in the cost and will subtract this amount from the total amount
- photocopies or sample pictures from catalogues to support your application
- a declaration confirming sufficient space for equipment/furniture to be installed and used safely.
Where applications are submitted that exceed the available grant amount, applicants are required to confirm that they can fund the difference.
If circumstances change, and a preschool cannot fund the difference, they must notify the department. In such circumstances, the grant must be returned to the department in full, unless expenditure is otherwise agreed by both parties and approved by the department. These decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Start the application
Applications can be made in the Early Childhood Contract Management System (ECCMS).
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: NSW Department of Education (the department).
The Department will individually assess all applications against the eligibility criteria and assessment requires outlined in the 2026 IE funding program guidelines.
If there is any missing or unclear information, community preschools may be contacted with the opportunity to provide additional information. This will be done on a case-by-case basis.
Providers will be notified of assessment outcomes for each application, and their funding allocation via email.
Feedback on the outcome of a funding application is provided via email to the providers of community preschools that submit an application.
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.