Our overarching goals are:
- To increase public awareness and understanding of the benefits of investing in early learning (birth to five years) for Australia’s future prosperity
- To increase access to quality programs that amplify children’s development by securing political commitment to increasing early learning.
To achieve these goals we call on all political parties to adopt these policy measures:
- Develop a cross portfolio ‘Early Years Strategy’ to recognise the importance of early childhood development and early learning across home, community and early childhood settings.
- Children have the right to access at least two days per week of quality early childhood education, irrespective of their parents’ workforce participation or other activity.
- Provide a long-term funding commitment for universal access to quality early childhood education and care (kindergarten / preschool programs) in the year before school.
- Extend universal access to two years before school.
- Commit to strategies to increase access to quality early learning programs for children at risk of educational disadvantage – with particular attention to the need for appropriate service models for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and rural/remote communities.
- Commit to quality improvement through ongoing funding of the National Quality Framework.
- Commit funding to workforce development strategies to address capacity and quality issues.
Download this two page pdf about how quality early learning creates a quality future for Australia