Investment in UK childcare should go towards better pay and conditions for workers. This could also help increase availability and affordability for parents.
The two biggest states have jointly committed to a huge investment in early childhood education and learning over the next decade. But delivering high-quality universal preschool access won’t be easy.
Marilyn Campbell, Queensland University of Technology y Yan Qi, Queensland University of Technology
This week’s announcements will add to the need to train more early childhood workers and to ensure they are more diverse in a way that better reflects our multicultural society.
The government is paying childcare services in hot-spots 25% of pre-pandemic revenue. But without parents’ fees, the sector is still in a tough position.
Early childhood education and care centres, which includes childcare and preschool, are part of our village. They form a support network established to ensure parents’ and children’s lifelong success.
One in five early childhood educators said they planned to leave their job within a year. It is vital we design a system and policies to ensure there are enough to meet the demand.
A large study shows preschool benefits Aboriginal children’s development more than childcare or being taken care of at home. But the benefits of preschool are not as large as for non-Aboriginal kids.
Whether the policy benefits high-income or low-income families matters, but it also misses the point — early childhood policies need to focus on what benefits children.
The NSW and Victorian preschool funding announcements are likely to increase the growing focus on early childhood education, which is shaping up to be a major issue.
Parents can find it difficult to choose a childcare service, given the plethora of types on offer. Here are three of the most well-known alternative educational philosophies explained.
A study found no statistically significant difference between the literacy and numeracy scores of school children who had attended preschool or childcare and children who didn’t.
Currently, half of all early childhood teachers have a bachelor degree, with a further one-third still working towards one.
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In 2009, Australian governments made an agreement to provide all four-year-olds with access to preschool delivered by a trained teacher from 2013. We’re a long way from this goal.
Fewer than one-quarter of young children from low-income families used preschool or childcare services in 2017.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Australia is far from having an early childhood sector that delivers what children and families need. The government can look to these three areas to ensure access for all Australian children.
This study found children with autism could be effectively supported in mainstream childcare.
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