Revealed: the six Illawarra public schools selected for new preschools

The government is investing $759 million to build 100 new public preschools by 2027 that will be co-located at public primary schools.

The sites were selected by a panel within the NSW Department of Education, and were based on critceria including educational need, child development and socioeconomic data, projected preschool demand, infrastructure feasibility and insights from stakeholders.

The promise to build the schools was one of the first election promises made by the Labor opposition in the lead up to the 2023 NSW state government election.

The building of new preschools is part of the government's commitment to universal access to preschool and Premier Chris Minns said this pledge extended to all areas of the state.

"Investment in quality early childhood education has lifelong benefits for our young kids and is key to getting parents back into the workforce," he said.

Education minister Prue Car said half of the 100 public preschools would be located in regional areas.

"Postcodes should not act as a barrier to accessing the best start in life and every child should have access to high quality resources from a young age, including having access to preschool."

The schools in the Illawarra where the preschools will be located are:

The news comes as the Illawarra is in the grips of an early education and child care shortage, with many preschools and day care centres currently with wait lists hundreds of children long.

Tara Moriarty, minister for regional NSW, said the universal preschool goal was a "long term commitment" and required working with the sector.

"We have been listening to and learning from families, communities and expert educators and teachers as we work towards universal preschool for every child in NSW," she said."