Two new public preschools open in Queanbeyan, creating places for up to 160 children each week

Two new fee-free public preschools have opened in Queanbeyan, creating capacity for up to 160 children each week as the NSW Government continues the rollout of its $769 million public preschool expansion program.

Queanbeyan East Public Preschool and Queanbeyan South Public Preschool officially opened on 21 August, providing local families with increased access to early childhood education in the year before school.

Each preschool can accommodate up to 80 children per week and features two purpose-built learning spaces, dedicated staff facilities and landscaped outdoor play areas.

The services are staffed by qualified early childhood teachers and School Learning Support Officers and will provide fee-free, play-based preschool programs for local children.

Both preschools have been established within existing public school communities, creating opportunities to strengthen children's transition from early learning into Kindergarten.

Queanbeyan South Public School Principal Kelly Broomham said having a preschool located on the school grounds would enable children to become part of the broader school community from the beginning of their early learning journey.

“Having a public preschool on our school grounds allows local children to become part of our school community from the very start,” Ms Broomham said.

She said the connection would help make the transition into Kindergarten smoother and more natural for children and families.

Queanbeyan East Public School Principal Danny Scott also welcomed the opening, highlighting the benefits of children being able to access quality early learning close to home and within their local community.

The Queanbeyan services are the fourth and fifth new public preschools to open as part of the NSW Government's commitment to deliver 100 new public preschools by early 2027.

The Government is investing $769 million in the program, which is expected to double the number of public preschools across NSW and provide up to 9,000 additional children with access to fee-free early learning.

Almost half of the new services, 49 of the 100 planned preschools, will be located in regional NSW, increasing access for children and families outside metropolitan areas.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car described the program as one of the largest expansions of public preschool education in the state's history.

“These two new public preschools are part of the biggest expansions of public preschool education in our state’s history,” Ms Car said.

For Queanbeyan families, the opening of the two services provides another option in a region where access and affordability have presented challenges.

Member for Monaro Steve Whan said Queanbeyan had long had quality preschool services, but waiting lists and affordability had prevented some families from accessing them.

The two new public preschools were also delivered earlier than originally anticipated.

With capacity for up to 160 children each week across the two services, the expansion provides a significant increase in fee-free early learning opportunities for local families.

Further public preschool capacity is also being developed across the broader Monaro region.

Construction is underway on a new public preschool at Jindabyne Public School, which will create capacity for up to another 80 children each week.

A further early learning service is planned alongside the new public primary school at Googong, which is scheduled to open for students from Term 1, 2028.

Together, the projects represent a substantial expansion of public early childhood education across the region.

The opening of the Queanbeyan East and Queanbeyan South preschools reflects the growing role of public provision within the NSW early childhood education landscape.

Beyond creating additional places, co-locating preschool services with schools provides an opportunity to strengthen continuity between early childhood education and the first years of school, while allowing children and families to develop relationships with their future school communities before Kindergarten begins.

For Queanbeyan, the immediate impact is up to 160 additional children accessing fee-free preschool each week, with further capacity to come as the NSW Government's broader public preschool expansion continues.

Read the NSW Department of Education announcement here.