Leading Australian early learning and care providers have come together for the first time to ensure the needs of very young children are top of mind in the coming Federal election.
Led by the Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA), which represents the nation’s large not-for-profit and private providers of early learning services, the Launch into Learning campaign will be supported by more than 2200 centres across Australia. Watch the launch video here: https://launchintolearning.com.au/
The campaign will reach out to the 400,000 parents connected with ELACCA’s partners and more than 40,000 educators, calling on the major parties to fund two years of access to high quality early learning in the vital years before children begin primary school.
ELACCA members include providers of preschools, kindergartens, family day care and long day care services, including Goodstart Early Learning, and the organisation actively lobbies to improve quality and access.
ELACCA co-chairs Jenni Hutchins and Gary Carroll said the campaign would be bipartisan and targeting 24 key marginal seats across the nation to get its point across.
“This is the first time that the members of ELACCA have united to campaign on an initiative which is indicative of our collective passion and commitment to deliver quality early learning for all children across Australia.
“We know that the ages of three to five are critical to brain development and that children who have attended two years quality play-based learning make the best transitions to school.
“Launch into Learning will be reminding the major parties and their candidates that high quality early learning grows confident, capable and curious young learners who are ready to thrive.
“We want all parties to make a commitment that every, single child has access to two-years play-based learning to launch into their educational journey.”
The Launch into Learning campaign is calling on all major political parties to commit to:
• significant new investment in all children to ensure they attend two years of high quality early learning in the vital years before they begin primary school
• better support for children experiencing disadvantage or vulnerability by ensuring they attend 600 hours of quality preschool programs
• fixing the Child Care Subsidy so that it supports all children’s access to preschool programs
• a strategy to ensure Australia has sufficient numbers of highly trained early childhood teachers and educators - who are well paid and well respected
• on-going commitment to the National Quality Framework which helps ensure all preschool programs are of high quality.