For many families, free three-year-old preschool means welcome relief from the cost of early childhood education. But inside Canberra’s early learning centres, its impact goes well beyond the family budget.
More than 3,000 Canberra children are now accessing the ACT Government’s Free Three-Year-Old Preschool program, with more than 150 early childhood education and care services participating across the Territory.
The program currently provides eligible children with up to 300 hours of free preschool each year, with the ACT Government working towards doubling that entitlement to 600 hours over the next two years. At Sage Education and Childcare in Belconnen, which has participated in the program since it began in 2024, 46 children are currently benefiting. Sage Approved Provider Jane Matthews says the age of three represents an important period in a child’s development.
“The three-year-old sits within a critical period of brain development and readiness to learn,” she says. “What children engage with and learn in the early childhood setting really sets them up for their success in school.”
While early childhood education is sometimes thought of primarily as care for children while parents work, Jane says much of the learning happening at this age centres on skills that will help children well beyond the early childhood setting. Social and emotional development and self-regulation are particularly important, as children begin to interact more closely with their peers, negotiate relationships and learn how to manage themselves within a group. And much of that learning happens through something children already know how to do: play.
“Learning through play is such a critical vehicle for learning for young children,” Jane says.
Through play, children negotiate with their peers, adapt when another child changes the direction of a game, explore new ideas and learn to make choices. Early childhood educators support that process by creating environments where play can develop and by building responsive relationships with children. Those experiences can also make the transition to four-year-old preschool, and eventually school, a little easier.
New teachers, friendships, routines and expectations can all be challenging for young children. Three-year-old preschool gives them an opportunity to begin practising those transitions in a supported environment. It can be as simple as becoming accustomed to saying goodbye to a parent in the morning, participating in group activities or becoming comfortable being cared for and taught by someone outside their family.
“These little steps that gradually build up over their period in early childhood really support them for that step into formal schooling,” Jane says.
The program also aims to make those opportunities more accessible. ACT Government figures show participating families are saving an average of $1,329 per child through the current 300-hour entitlement. But the investment is about more than reducing costs for families.
Deputy Chief Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith says early childhood educators are central to the program and the outcomes it hopes to achieve.
“At the heart of this program are the early childhood educators who do such valuable work with children every day – work that we know shapes the trajectory of children’s lives. This is especially true for children who are experiencing disadvantage and vulnerability,” she says.
At Sage, Jane says the funding also supports services to strengthen the quality of the education they provide. Some of the funding has been used to bring specialist programs into the centre, including sport programs and visits from a clay artist, giving children access to an even broader range of learning experiences.
“I think any further development of the three-year-old program is going to be really positive, not only from the perspective of families, but also in raising the profile of early childhood education… and setting children up for success into preschool,” Jane says.
For families wondering what their three-year-old could really be learning while playing alongside other children, Jane has a simple answer.
“I always say to people, we can’t teach children what they learn from each other. There’s so much learning and growth happening for children when they play and interact together.”
And while many of those moments may appear small, together they are helping children build the skills they will carry with them into preschool, school and beyond.
