Page 1068 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The 2015 ACT results show that the percentage of children from non-English speaking backgrounds developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains has remained relatively stable since the last collection—28.3 per cent in 2012, and 28.0 per cent in 2015. This plateau demonstrates there is room for improvement with this group of children and their families.
Madam Assistant Speaker, as you will be aware, there is a significant body of research that demonstrates the critical and sensitive period of the early years and their subsequent impact on brain development. It is well known that the impacts of the early childhood environment can have lifelong consequences for individuals. What the Australian early development census provides us with is a measure of the quality of these early life experiences, and visibility of the vulnerabilities that we need to address to ensure Canberra’s children get the best start in life. It also provides us with a lens to consider what we are doing well and how we can continue to grow strong communities for our children and their families.
The Early Intervention and Prevention Services branch within the Community Services Directorate has responsibility for the census collection and the promotion and dissemination of the results. This branch promotes the Australian early development census through engagement activities with relevant early childhood development stakeholders, schools and communities to assist understanding of the data and enable local area responses that are targeted to local area need.
Some examples of this work are the regional forums that have been held in partnership with the Education Directorate to support schools to better understand and respond to their Australian early development census results, as well as linking schools with community providers that will assist families and their children in the early years.
In addition, significant work has been progressed through the transition to preschool seminars and the provision of the “On my first day” transition pack to preschool families across the ACT. The purpose of this collaboration was to provide support and information to ACT families on what they can do to positively support a smooth transition from preschool to kindergarten. This work was a collaborative effort between the Community Services Directorate, the Education Directorate, Libraries ACT and the Canberra Preschool Society.
As I have already noted, improved outcomes for children rely on providing supportive and nurturing environments within both families and community, particularly in the early years. The ACT government invests in a number of programs that aim to promote protective factors for children and their families to assist in better outcomes.
The ACT Education Directorate’s Koori preschool program provides early childhood education to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged three to five years. Children under the age of three are welcome to attend when accompanied by a parent or adult carer. The Koori preschool program provides opportunities for children to engage in a wonderfully rich play-based program which fosters a love of learning and promotes student wellbeing, positive transitions to school and the development of
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video