Page 4845 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 25 October 2011
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DR BOURKE (Ginninderra) (10.55): The ACT government is committed to providing quality education and care services for children. The introduction of a unified national regulatory system through the passing of the Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Bill 2011 in the ACT will ensure quality services are available to all of the ACT’s children.
The ACT has been working closely with the Australian government and other jurisdictions in order to implement the national quality framework from January 2012. This close partnership is to make sure that children can access consistently high quality education and care no matter where they live and no matter what service they are accessing.
The ACT government recognises the importance of providing education and care for children from birth and through their childhood. As we have heard here today, current research indicates children are born ready to learn. Children learn through nurturing relationships and environments created by their care-givers. A child’s brain will grow and develop through ongoing stimulation and through play-based activities. The national quality framework makes it explicit that children are valued as citizens in their own right and are able to participate in their community. It acknowledges that children will be supported to learn and develop, that children will be happy and engaged and that children will be safe and healthy.
The framework also ensures that families will be confident and secure in the knowledge that their children are safe and being cared for by educators who have the knowledge and skills to ensure children’s education and care needs are met. Families will know that the educators caring for their children will be supported, resourced and qualified to exercise professional judgements to ensure positive outcomes for children.
The ACT government is committed to providing quality education and care because of its long-term benefits for our society. We have already today heard that the first five years of a child’s life will strongly influence their longer term future, including their physical and mental health and social and cognitive abilities. We should also recognise the important role that education and care services play in our community, in particular providing the capacity for parents to return to the workforce with the knowledge that their children are being well cared for.
The national quality framework recognises the significant role of educators in the care and education of children. The framework will build a stronger sector with improved educator qualifications. This reflects the emphasis on the important role education and care services play in child development and learning.
The Education and Care Services National Law (ACT) Bill 2011 will require all educators to have a minimum certificate III in children’s services. It also provides for an early childhood teacher to be employed by education and care services to contribute to improved educational programs and practice. These qualification requirements will lift the bar. An education and care service will no longer be able to be perceived simply as a place to drop off children for babysitting. Through the implementation of a national quality framework these services and the professional
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