Puzzle for NERPSA amid pre-prep rollout

As Wangaratta prepares for the rollout of increased 'pre-prep' hours for four-year-old kinder in 2026, the North East Regional Pre-School Association has a puzzle to assemble around the new arrangements. Available space and staffing are both factors in NERPSA's efforts to meet the state government's requirements for the rollout of pre-prep, which began this year in six municipalities across Victoria. The transition will see an increase to a universal 30-hour-a-week program of play-based learning for all Victorian four-year-olds, as part of the state's Best Start, Best Life reforms. Next year, the rollout will include the Rural City of Wangaratta, as well as Benalla, Wodonga, Mansfield, Strathbogie and seven other local government areas, where 16 to 20 hours (increased from 15) will be offered in 2026, extending to up to 25 hours by 2029 and up to 30 hours by 2031. The program will also offer up to 25 hours per week from 2026 for priority groups (children who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander; children from a refugee or asylum seeker background; and children who have had contact with Child Protection), extending to 30 hours by 2028. The state government said the staged schedule, which continues until metropolitan Melbourne's rollout in 2034, would allow time to grow the workforce, and build the infrastructure and services to prepare for expanded programs. However, NERPSA manager Leigh Chadban said the association - a provider for 14 services including long day care and integrated kinder across three local government areas (Rural City of Wangaratta, Indigo Shire and Benalla Rural City) - was currently working out how it would manage the rollout of extended hours in kinders including Coronation, Appin Park, Christopher Robin, James Tilson, Wangaratta West, Glenrowan, Moyhu and Whorouly. Ms Chadban said the increased hours would work well for long day care services, including those run by the Rural City of Wangaratta, but not so easily for NERPSA's sessional kinder services. "There are lots of implications from increasing by just one hour," she said. "We need to be able to do it sustainably and viably, and some of our services won't be able to do that; having space and having staff are impacting factors. "All of our services have had changes this year, and 80 per cent last year as well, and the overwork capacity for our staff is increasing annually. "Adding more change is going to be extremely difficult." As part of its registration process for next year, NERPSA has conducted a survey asking parents what they would like to see, what impact it would have if there was a change in the make-up of hours offered, and why they choose to send their children to sessional kindergarten. "We want parents' input as well, because if there are changes, we want them to suit families," Ms Chadban said. "In the rollout that's happened this year, the couple that I've looked at have just added an extra day, but we don't have the capacity to do that; with the staff we have, we can't just increase hours. "We have just advertised to replace staff who are leaving and can't fill those roles. "We're looking at all of our information, from families, staff and modelling based on registrations, to find solutions. "I'd rather have less hours and be able to achieve it, because if we don't have the staff, we can't do it." Registrations for NERPSA services closed in late June, and Ms Chadban said the association would look at proposed numbers to consider how it could proceed. "Last year we were changing models in August/September, increasing to two groups, and changing days and hours, which was not ideal for families' planning," she said. Rural City of Wangaratta director community and infrastructure Marcus Goonan said Wangaratta Children's Services (WCS) would increase to 20 funded hours for four-year-olds in 2026. "Long day care providers are generally well-positioned to adapt to these changes, while our stand-alone kindergartens may require more significant adjustments to accommodate the increased hours," he said. Mr Goonan said the WCS was well-staffed, but there was a strong need for qualified early childhood teachers and Diploma-trained educators across the broader Wangaratta community, to meet current waitlist demands and support the 2026 pre-prep rollout. He said there had been positive feedback from families regarding the increase in hours for four-year-olds, and the 25 hours offers for priority cohorts would further enhance access and equity in early childhood education. Mr Goonan said the Rural City of Wangaratta was in the final stages of approving its Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan, which assesses both infrastructure and staffing needs across the region. "The addition of new services such as Bright Beginnings, and the expansion of Wangaratta Country Buddies - both offering programs for three and four-year-olds - will help meet growing demand," he said. "However, ongoing recruitment and staffing support will be critical to ensure a smooth rollout of the pre-prep initiative."

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