2026 Start Strong for Community Preschools - June Update

The Start Strong for Community Preschools program objectives are to improve the affordability, quality, and accessibility of preschool education for children in the years before school. The program funds providers of community and mobile preschools to reduce fees, support quality uplift, incentivise increased enrolment and attendance, and drive improved outcomes for children. 

The program operates on a calendar year, from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026.

June 2026 Update: Eligibility criteria for new applications to the 2026 Start Strong for Community Preschools program have been reviewed and updated in response to a significant increase in applications from existing Long Day Care services under this program.

Providers of new services can apply for funding at any stage throughout 2026. Interested organisations who would like to apply should review the eligibility criteria before completing this application form. The current program guidelines can be found here.

The department will not consider applications from long day care services. Providers of other existing service types 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:

• 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.

In addition to the above, organisations will also need to demonstrate all 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.

Providers will be asked to upload evidence to support their application. Individual child information is not collected at this point of the application. 

A preview of the application form is available via the side menu. The form can be saved while in progress and returned to at a later stage by logging into SmartyGrants. For help with completing application forms in SmartyGrants, including information on uploading files, please click here.

The NSW Department of Education (the department) will assess all information provided in this application form and will conduct internal analysis to determine eligibility as per the program guidelines. The approval of funding applications and provision of ongoing funding is at the discretion of the department's Early Childhood Outcomes division.

For support with this application, please contact the department by emailing ecec.funding@det.nsw.edu.au or calling 1800 619 113.

The Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

• submission of this application does not guarantee that funding will be granted and the department expressly reserves its right to accept or reject this application at its discretion and in accordance with the 2026 Start Strong for Community Preschools program guidelines;
• they must bear any costs of preparing and submitting this application and the department does not accept any liability for such costs, whether or not this application is ultimately accepted or rejected;
• they have fully informed themselves of the relevant program requirements by reading the 2026 Start Strong for Community Preschools guidelines.

The NSW Department of Education (department) is collecting the personal information you provide via this form, including names, position title, phone number and email. You don’t have to provide this information, however if you do not, the department may be unable to process your application under the 2026 Start Strong for Community Preschools program. 

The department uses the personal information to process the application, administer the Start Strong program, assist future policy and program development and exercise the department’s statutory and government functions (including reporting). If personal information is shared with third party contractors, they can only use it for those purposes.

Your personal information will not be shared with any others unless authorised by law or with your consent. 

You can withdraw consent to the department’s use or disclosure of your personal information at any time by contacting the department, however the department may be no longer able to provide the funding.

Your personal information will be held and managed by the department in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW), and subject to the department’s Privacy Policy. For further information, please see the department’s Privacy Management Plan.

You have the right to access or amend your personal information by emailing ecec.funding@det.nsw.edu.au or legal.privacy@det.nsw.edu.au. Alternatively, you can write to Legal Services – Privacy, Department of Education GPO Box 33, Sydney NSW 2001.