Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: Variable from a total pool of up to approximately $550 million
- Application opened: 7 July 2026
- Application closes: 31 December 2026
Program objective
The Start Strong for Community Preschools program aims to:
- improve the affordability of preschool education
- support quality uplift in preschool education
- drive improved outcomes for children
- incentivise increased enrolment and attendance in quality preschool programs in the years before school.
The program funding (Program Payment) supports the operating costs of eligible early childhood education services and enrolment of at least 600 hours per year or 15 hours per week. Evidence shows that this level of participation in a quality early childhood education program in the two years before school is associated with better outcomes for children.
The program includes fee relief funding (Fee Relief Payment) which provides community and mobile preschools with sustainable long-term funding to deliver at least 600 hours of low, or no cost preschool to eligible children.
For more information, refer to the 2026 Start Strong for Community Preschools program guidelines.
This program is administered by Department of Education.
Eligibility
Who can apply
To be eligible for current funding as a community or mobile preschool, providers must ensure each service meets all the following criteria:
- be a not-for-profit community preschool or mobile preschool service;
- be an approved early childhood education and care service under the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010 (National Law) and Education and Care Services National Regulations;
- deliver a quality early childhood education program by a qualified early childhood teacher in accordance with the requirements under the National Quality Framework, including using the Early Years Learning Framework;
- accept and comply with the Early Childhood Outcomes Programs – Funding Agreement – Terms and Conditions – 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 (Terms and Conditions); and
- take reasonable steps to deliver 600 hours of quality preschool to all children enrolled at the service.
The department will not provide funding for enrolled hours in a service that are Child Care Subsidy approved.
For child eligibility criteria, refer to section 3.3 in the 2026 Start Strong for Community Preschools program guidelines.
The list of grant recipients for the 2026 Start Strong for Community Preschools, as of February 2026, is available here.
Types of projects funded under this grant
The Program Payment can be used to support the operating expenses of your service. To find examples of these expenses, please refer to section 5.1 in the 2026 program guidelines.
The Fee Relief Payment is to be used to reduce the costs of early childhood education to families in the form of fee pass-through. For more information on fee relief spending rules, refer to section 5.2 in the 2026 program guidelines.
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
Providers of services which have been approved for funding under the Start Strong for Community Preschools program in earlier years generally do not need to re-complete the application form.
Providers of existing services wishing to extend or change service types to include Community Preschool should first review the eligibility criteria and write to the department at ecec.funding@det.nsw.edu.au prior to making any changes to their service model.
Organisations will need to demonstrate their eligibility for funding during the application process (See section 3.1 service eligibility criteria), as well as at least one of the following two points:
- demonstrated local need and demand for community preschool: providers must be able to demonstrate that there is a local need for a community preschool service to deliver early childhood education in the area. This may be demonstrated through a lack of existing provision, changes or closures to existing preschool services in the community, or through demonstrating unviability of other models of preschool delivery.
- existing approved Department grant to deliver community preschool: providers must provide evidence of an existing approved grant to deliver community preschool, such as an approved Start Strong Capital Works or Flexible Initiatives Trial grant.
Organisations will also need to demonstrate both of the below points during the application process:
- proposed number of preschool places to be created: providers are to outline the maximum number of places and how many children the service is expected to enrol.
- capability to provide affordable early education for families: providers must include a fee structure for children enrolled at the preschool service that is compliant with the Section 5 Fee guidelines and provide documentation to demonstrate the service’s financial viability (e.g. through financial statements, forecast budgets or similar). Whilst the department recognises that fee decisions are at the discretion of services, the department considers affordability for families when reviewing applications for funding. New services are encouraged to set fee structures that do not impact negatively on preschool participation in their community.
- value for money: providers are to demonstrate that funds will be used in the most efficient and innovative means that improve the affordability, quality, and accessibility of preschool education for children in the years before school and in accordance with program guidelines.
Address the eligibility criteria
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
Start the application
Providers of new services can apply for funding at any stage throughout 2026. Interested organisations who would like to apply for funding through the program should review the eligibility criteria and write to the department at ecec.funding@det.nsw.edu.au to receive a link to the online application or access the online application through the NSW Grants and Funding Finder.
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
Apply now
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: NSW Department of Education
A provider’s application for funding under the Start Strong for Community Preschools program will be assessed against eligibility criteria and the objectives of the program. Applications are reviewed and recommendations are made by Department of Education employees within Early Childhood Outcomes division, equivalent to Grade 7/8 Program or Project Officer or above. Final funding decisions are made by the appropriate financial delegate within the department, Early Childhood Outcomes division, at director level or above. Officers from the department may contact the applicant during the application process if further information is required.
The department seeks to finalise applications in a timely manner. The application outcome may take between 12 to 16 weeks from the date an approved provider submits the application. The length of time can depend on various factors, including the completeness and accuracy of information submitted. Applications for services that are not yet operational at the time of the initial application may experience a longer timeframe between applying and receiving the application outcome.
Where a service is assessed as meeting the eligibility criteria, the provider will be asked to complete an ad hoc data collection to confirm child enrolment details over a two-week representative period. The ad hoc data collection will be used to determine the applicable funding allocation. The calculation process may take between 8 to 12 weeks depending on various factors including the completeness and accuracy of information provided to the department.
Support and contact
For questions, feedback or complaints about Start Strong, please contact the department by:
- calling 1800 619 113
- emailing ecec.funding@det.nsw.edu.au.
An officer within Early Childhood Outcomes directorate will consider and respond to your enquiry.