The NSW Nationals are calling on the Minns Labor Government to provide more support for community preschools, as they shut their doors to take part in a series of rallies across the state today.
Community preschools, along with the Independent Education Union, have been pushing for increased state government funding to boost wages for early childhood teachers in community preschools who are currently paid 30 per cent less than teachers in other sectors and who hold similar qualifications.
Nationals Shadow Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said community preschool teachers are simply asking to receive the same support as their colleagues, given they have the same qualifications and responsibilities.
“When you have an entry level primary school teacher on a higher wage than a director of a community preschool, it shows the gap in the system has clearly widened in the past couple of years,” Mrs Mitchell said.
“This discrepancy is having a massive impact on the ability of community preschools to keep their highly qualified staff when they can’t offer anywhere near as much pay as their competitors.
“Given there are more than 700 community preschools in NSW that provide an incredible service for our children, this is definitely something the government needs to look at and fix as soon as possible.”
