This page contains all the data you need to show that Australia is not investing enough aid in preschool education. Download. Share. Act.
Country Data
The Australian government is spending a tiny fraction of its education budget on vital preschool and early learning.
It is time to act for early years and meet the international target of 10% of its education budget so that every child gets the best start in life.
Australia must continue to increase investment in early years
Australia’s preschool investment has been increasing in recent years. To ensure the world’s children have a fair chance from the start, Australia needs to build on this trend.
Early years are being left out globally
Despite encouraging progress in aid to preschool education in 2022, it remains just under 1.5% of total aid to education, far off the internationally agreed target of 10%. This imbalance must be reconsidered urgently. The consistent neglect of aid to preschool has caused a crisis of inequality affecting the world’s youngest children, which will require years of improved investment to address. As long as preschool aid lags behind other education aid, this gap will be impossible to close.
Australia - stop missing the target
Investing in the early years is vital for children’s futures. Yet in 2022, Australia only committed 1.1% of education aid spending to preschool, missing the international 10% target by a long way.
Australia should do more to join top donors
In 2022, Australia was not a top five donor for preschool education aid, with $2.6m only accounting for 4.9% of the total $53.3m in bilateral aid. Over-reliance on a few top donors puts young children at risk of instability due to changing priorities, so Australia and other donors must step up and increase levels of early education aid.
Make your voice heard
You can tell the Australian Government to make the early years a priority @dfat. It’s time to #ActForEarlyYears