Flexible Initiatives Trial Round 3 – Extended Hours Care for Children in Public Preschools- 3 September

Help Shape Preschool Extended-Hours for Your School Community

Round 3 of the Flexible Initiatives Trial is funding partnerships between public preschools and early childhood services to establish or expand Out of School Hours (OOSH) care for children attending public preschools.

If a service wishes to apply for a FIT grant to partner with your preschool to offer extended hours care, your approval will be a key step in the process, making it important to understand how the program works and the potential benefits for your preschool community.

Join a 30-minute drop-in session to understand Stream 2, see what’s possible, and know exactly what’s involved in the approval process.

This 30-minute drop-in session will help you understand:

• what the program is – objectives, funding streams, and examples of initiatives being trialled

• why it matters – how FIT aims to improve access to early childhood education and care, support families, and increase workforce participation

• your role – what’s involved when an early childhood service applies for funding to partner with your public preschool, and the approval process.

Before you join
A 30-minute pre-recorded information session is available for background on the Flexible Initiatives Trial.

About Stream 2 – Extended Hours Care
 The Flexible Initiatives Trial provides grants to early childhood services to trial new or expanded extended-hours care for children attending a public preschool on public school sites.  This could include:

• existing onsite OOSH expanding hours to include preschool children

• nearby services offering extended-hours care, ensuring children can be safely transported on foot between the service and the preschool

• new OOSH established where none currently exists, with an existing approved provider offer extended hours for preschool children.

Funded by the NSW Childcare and Economic Opportunity Fund, this initiative supports affordable, high-quality early childhood education and care.  The aim is to improve access to early childhood education and care by removing barriers for families, thereby supporting workforce participation in the community.

Round 3 applications close on 9 October 2025. While you won’t submit applications yourself, your timely approval is essential if a service proposes extended-hours care for your preschool.

For more information, contact ecec.funding@det.nsw.edu.au.