EXCERPTS
The NSW Education Department is taking over responsibility for all child care and early childhood education in the state.
The Community Services department, which used to have that responsibility, will now focus on welfare.
"Originally the aim was for (the department of) education to look after pre-schools," Education Minister Adrian Piccoli said on Wednesday.But what we have done is shifted responsibility for the whole early childhood and education and care sector to the department.
"It frees the Department of Community Services to do what I think the community really wants them to do well, and that is childhood protection," he told reporters at a child care centre in Sydney
The decision would also send a message to parents that pre-schools and other centres that catered for young children were not just child minding centres.
"We think that is the right thing to do because early childhood care is very much about education," he said.
"It's very much about play-based learning.
"There are professional, early childhood people who know how to use play time and to educate kids."
The broader objective, Mr Piccoli said, was to get as many children into high quality early childhood and education facilities as early as possible.
At the same time, Mr Piccoli said the government remained committed to reducing costs for families.
"What we want to see happen in NSW is greater access for early childhood and education facilities, particularly in low socio-economic communities, particularly within the Aboriginal community.
"Access to a high quality service means kids get a great start in life, and as they go on to school, clearly their performance, as research shows, is far improved."
- reprinted from the Sydney Morning Herald