Page 4075 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 2010
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According to the OECD, qualifications and training of carers, as well as low staff-child ratios, are the main indicators of quality in childcare. Lower staff-child ratios are associated with better carer-child interaction and improved childcare interaction, particularly among younger children. This is particularly beneficial for younger children in care. Lower ratios are also associated with better child outcomes, including better language and cognitive development, maths readiness, better cooperation and compliance and fewer behavioural problems.
Carers with high levels of educational attainment and standards of training are better able to provide improved learning environments and more sensitive care. The literature finds a positive association between carer qualifications and cognitive and educational outcomes of children. This strong body of research led to the development of the national quality agenda which was agreed by the Council of Australian Governments in December last year.
In case Mrs Dunne does not quite know how to go to research and quality, what I will do is provide Mrs Dunne with an extensive list of quality research that will show her that quality childcare is indeed the critical factor. But it is something that Mrs Dunne and those opposite just seem to ignore and they continue to really downplay the services that we provide to our children in the ACT.
The national quality agenda will raise the quality of childcare by improving staff-child ratios so that each child gets more individual care and attention and by improving staff qualifications so that staff are better able to lead activities to help children learn and develop. Under the Labor government’s reforms, parents can be satisfied that their child will access quality care in their childcare centre. The national quality agenda establishes a quality ratings system so that parents will know the quality on offer at each and every childcare centre in their area. This information will be freely available on the federal government’s mychild website and at each childcare centre.
By committing to these quality reforms, the ACT Labor government is committed to making childcare accessible to parents. However, there are alternative views. I find it very curious that this MPI has excluded the word “quality”. It goes to accessibility and affordability and it seems that there is no interest from those opposite in quality childcare. Perhaps it could be that over the last six months we have witnessed a baseless and quite inept attack by the opposition on quality childcare in the territory. This government stands in stark contrast to those opposite. We stand for quality childcare for all.
The ACT is indeed well placed to meet the standards compared to other jurisdictions. Except for the under-twos, the ACT has had the same child-worker ratios as the new national standards since 1996. So that is a number of years where we have met the proposed standard. I am not quite sure how that factors in to Mrs Dunne’s fearmongering about the exorbitant cost. We have outlined the cost increases expected but Mrs Dunne seems to want to continue to put fear into Canberra families.
For the under-twos in the ACT, we know that 25 per cent of childcare centres already meet the ratios and will be able to meet the new standards by 2012. We, as a department, will certainly work with those that find that a tad challenging to ensure
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