Page 2009 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 5 August 2014
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I know this confuses some people, but learning from birth is not about teaching children their letters and numbers while they are still in nappies; it is about play-based programs that support children to develop a strong sense of identity and become confident and successful learners. It is also about recognising the incredible capacity of young children to actively participate and to have a say in matters that affect their lives. All kids should have access to the level of learning and care enshrined in our existing frameworks. The national quality framework plays a strong role in ensuring that no parent ever has to choose between cost and quality care for their kids.
The ACT has a high number of children using formal early childhood education and care settings, and we owe it to these children, their families and our community as a whole to provide them with opportunities that maximise their potential and develop a foundation for success in the future. That is why the ACT government has been such a strong supporter of the national quality framework. This historic reform sets a new benchmark for quality education and care in Australia. It was based on solid national and international evidence about what elements of service delivery are likely to lead to better outcomes for our children. I am happy to see that the Productivity Commission has acknowledged the national quality framework as a driver of improvement in quality of education and care.
The commission’s draft report makes a number of recommendations to support the good work already being done across the sector to improve quality care. Whilst I am happy to see these recommendations, I am concerned by the implications in the report that some parts of the NQF were unnecessary red tape. As a jurisdiction we need to be clear that the NQF is not an inconvenience for business; it is a set of educational and robust, well-researched standards as important as any school-age policy. These regulations provide the framework for structural elements of quality education and care, such as minimum qualifications and educator-to-child ratios, that directly influence the quality of teaching and learning in early childhood settings. These are not the standards that we want to compromise or back away from.
We are already seeing significant improvements in the ACT as services strive towards the NQF. For example, one long day care service improved their overall rating from working towards the national quality standard to exceeding it within the space of 18 months. This is a fantastic achievement, especially considering the national quality framework has a much higher standard for care than previous accreditation systems.
It is also clear that these frameworks and the emphasis on quality care are supported by workers in the sector. Judy Kuzma, an educator with more than 20 years of experience, describes the NQF as:
… an acknowledgment by society that working in this sector does require a high level of skill, training and dedication. It’s having the capability to apply the knowledge to ensure all children benefit from a quality early education system where the commitment to sustaining quality is undisputed.
Haiying Li, who is an infants educator, describes the importance of quality in the ECEC sector as:
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