Page 4842 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 25 October 2011
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all states and territories and the Australian government agreed to establish a jointly governed, uniform national quality framework for early childhood education and care. It covers long day care centre-based services, preschools, family day care schemes and outside school hours care services, including vacation care services.
This was a critical first step in the work of all jurisdictions and the first time that, as a nation, we have said that children across Australia accessing care and education services, regardless of the setting, deserve a system that enshrines quality as a value. As minister for education, these initiatives fit neatly under the education portfolio as preschool in the ACT has long been a priority area for investment by this Labor government.
All members would be aware that across the world there is increasing recognition of the importance of the early years of life. Research across the medical, behavioural and social sciences provides the evidence that the early years are critical in setting the foundation for learning, behaviour and health throughout the school years and on into adult life.
According to experts, the early period of brain development is critical to the wellbeing of our community, not just in physical and mental health but also, importantly, in literacy and numeracy. The value of early childhood education programs is undisputed and well substantiated. Short-term benefits include improved cognitive function, school readiness and social skills. Longitudinal studies have demonstrated positive effects on school completion, further education participation, employment outcomes, earnings and general social wellbeing. Each dollar invested in early childhood development can save up to $7 in later public expenditure.
There is no doubt that all children in the ACT have the right to be all they can be. They should be able to enjoy and experience a full and supported childhood. Children have the best start when their early learning experiences are guided by professionals with expertise in early childhood development and are delivered in caring settings. The importance of strong connections to their family and their community cannot be understated. High quality education programs boost cognitive development, social and emotional skills and generally prepare children for success at school.
The ACT has a proud history of support for preschool. It was in the 1940s that the government, in partnership with the community, began to develop preschool sites and the first preschools in the territory were born. At this time, the preschools were considered to be revolutionary in design, being north facing and located in the heart of their respective communities. They showcased the start of investment in education for children under five in the ACT.
From that time, we have seen significant changes across the preschools in the territory. From those very humble beginnings, there are now 76 preschool sites across public schools in the ACT delivering quality education to over 4,100 children in the ACT each year, as reported in the most recent ACT schools census. In recent times, the ACT government has invested in the preschool year to increase hours from 10.5 to 12 per week. This meant that preschool delivery changed from a short sessional focus to being able to have days that were the same length as the school day. This was a
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