Quality early care and education is a right for every child

Every year in Australia about one in five children who start their schooling are assessed as being developmentally vulnerable, and in some areas that stretches to two in five kids.

That means 60,000 children are behind from the very start of their educational journeys. Sadly, the evidence shows these children generally don’t make up that lost ground.

The evidence also shows that children experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage benefit the most from quality Early Childhood Education and Care, but that they are currently the least likely to attend.

Addressing barriers to ECEC has the potential to change the lives of tens of thousands of kids, and it was at the heart of our inquiry for government into universal ECEC, which we released earlier this year. In our report, we recommended a series of steps over a decade that would deliver an ECEC system where every Australian child would have access to at least three days a week of high-quality ECEC, regardless of who they are or where they live.

Echoing our report, the government this week announced a “three-day guarantee” policy to give every family the option of quality and affordable ECEC. We believe the policy is a welcome step in the right direction towards this goal. Importantly, we are encouraged that the government is going about its reforms in a systematic and considered way.

As we made clear in our report, the sequence of our recommended steps towards universal ECEC is as important as the steps themselves.

For example, many parents say childcare fees are squeezing their budgets. But even free childcare is no help to a parent who can’t find a centre with a spot for their child, either because they live in a remote area, or because their child has specific needs that can’t be met. And providing more government subsidies without addressing availability and access to ECEC will simply drive up prices.

In other words, while addressing affordability barriers is a priority, improving access and availability is appropriately the initial focus to achieving universal ECEC. A strategic and phased approach to ECEC reform is about avoiding the unintended consequences that bedevil well planned, but poorly implemented, reforms.

As our report said: “Achieving universal access to ECEC will require long-term commitment and investment. Sequencing reforms is critical to avoid crowding out children and families experiencing disadvantage.”

ECEC educators and teachers are at the heart of the early education system. Our report recommended better pay and conditions for these workers and doing more to improve the career and qualification pathways. We are pleased to see these changes happening.

The recent 10 per cent pay rise – with a further 5 per cent next year – has gone a long way to addressing the chronic wage disparities for early childhood educators and teachers. We have highlighted that ECEC workers were paid substantially less than people doing similar jobs in other areas such as aged care or disability. The disparity was glaring and has led to ECEC workers leaving for better-paid roles outside the sector.

Securing a happy, decently paid, professional workforce has been the fundamental first step. The next is expanding ECEC into communities – often regional, remote and disadvantaged – where childcare is too often unavailable to parents who need and want it.

Our report said achieving universal childcare requires public investment in establishing ECEC services in disadvantaged and remote communities. This week’s announcement of a $1bn fund to build and expand childcare centres in areas of need, notably in the outer suburbs and regions, is a welcome next response.

The government’s proposed “three-day guarantee” will remove the work activity test for those days of ECEC for families earning less than $530,000. This will remove a concern that ECEC is only for working parents and will help centre the child as part of future ECEC policies. Further consideration can be given in time to removing the activity test in full, as our inquiry found this would further benefit lower income families.

Early childhood education and care can only be universal if every child is welcome, and we urge the government to prioritise measures to ensure ECEC services are inclusive for all children, regardless of their ability or cultural background.

The goal of giving every child a three-day guarantee of quality ECEC will make a profound difference in the lives of all families and children. Delivering further on the recommendations in our inquiry will ensure we have a truly universal ECEC sector that is accessible, high-quality, inclusive and affordable.