Last year, Goodstart delivered a $378 million social dividend – a powerful measure of the social and economic value generated through our high quality, inclusive early learning. As a not-for-profit, this value doesn’t go to shareholders. Instead, it reflects the impact of our ongoing investment in children, families, and communities across Australia.
This return is made possible by the work of Goodstart’s change-makers – 16,000 educators, teachers, centre teams, and practice and social inclusion specialists. For every $1 invested in Goodstart’s social purpose, $5.30 is returned in social and economic value, with the greatest benefits reaching those experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage.
Supporting this work is Myra Geddes, Goodstart’s General Manager of Social Impact. She leads our strategy across evidence, policy, research, social inclusion, and strategic partnerships. With a background in education and public policy – including as a senior advisor to two former Prime Ministers – Myra has been instrumental in embedding a child-centred, data-informed approach to achieving impact across the organisation.
We sat down with Myra to reflect on 15 years of impact, the role of evidence in driving reform, and the bold ambitions that will shape our next chapter. Myra is quick to point out that impact is led by Goodstarters every day – and she sees her role as one of supporting and amplifying that work.
Looking back over the past 15 years, what are you most proud of in terms of Goodstart’s contribution to children, families, and communities?
One of the things that stands out for me is that we showed it was possible. Fifteen years ago, there were a lot of people – in policy and in the sector – who didn’t believe a not-for-profit early learning provider could deliver inclusive high quality at scale and be financially sustainable, let alone deliver measurable social impact. But we’ve proven it can be done.
All quality early learning makes a difference, but at Goodstart we deliver even more. We know this because our not-for-profit model means every dollar is reinvested where it makes the biggest difference to child outcomes, including children experiencing vulnerability. We invest heavily in professional development and quality practice uplift to social inclusion programs, allied health, and building a more diverse and culturally responsive workforce. We're also investing in reconciliation and other areas we know are critical to creating inclusive environments and supporting every child to thrive.
And we’ve helped lead national policy change, most recently the Three Day Guarantee coming into effect January 2026. We’ve also helped secure a 15% payrise for all educators – ensuring early educators are appropriately paid and recognised for their life-changing work. Recognition of early education educators has been a long-standing area of advocacy for Goodstart. Our data has demonstrated the link between workforce conditions, educator turnover, and outcomes for children.
You could say the Goodstart of today is unrecognisable from the early days. Back then, we were focused on stabilising centres and proving we could survive. Now, we’re a recognised force for social reform – influencing national policy, delivering evidence-based practice and building partnerships that genuinely shift systems for children. Now our quality is sector-leading – 99% of our centres are meeting or exceeding the National Quality Standard – up from 50% 13 years ago. But I’d also say that the heart of Goodstart has remained and has just kept growing. We were lucky to inherit thousands of dedicated educators and CSO specialists, who has amazing sector skills and knowledge, and who have been able to thrive under our unique purpose and not-for-profit structure.
We’ve helped build the case for a system that sees early learning not just as care to support women’s workforce participation, but as a critical lever for social and economic progress.
How has research and evidence informed our approach to early learning and social impact over the years?
Across our data and analytics, teaching and learning, finance, advocacy, and people teams, we have some of the best experts in the country – all working to build evidence that influences government investment in what children need most.
Through that evidence, we’ve made a compelling case for change. One example is our work on inclusion support, where we’ve used insights from our centres and families to push for fairer and more effective funding models. And we’ve seen that evidence come to life in national policy through wins like the Three Day Guarantee, where we helped demonstrate that children who benefit most from early learning are often the least likely to access it. That shift in understanding helped shape the national reform agenda, and one of the most important markers of our impact.
This is what it looks like to put research into action – by backing insights with real-world data and influencing policy that drives equitable outcomes for Australia’s children.
What are the big social challenges or opportunities you see ahead – and how is Goodstart positioning itself to respond?
Equity. Access. Workforce. They’re all connected. And just having access to a place isn’t enough – it needs to be inclusive, and that takes additional investment.
What’s really exciting now is that, with the new re-elected Labor Government, we’ve helped win the debate – that the children who benefit most from early learning are often the least likely to attend. We’re starting to see more support flow, but access alone isn’t enough. The next frontier is inclusion. That’s where the investment and policy focus now needs to go, and that’s where we’ll continue leading.
Because across the whole sector inclusion is underfunded. Full stop. And if we want that to change – if we want a more socially just society where every child has the opportunity to thrive – we need to keep building and sharing the evidence.
Our annual Goodstart national census is one example of taking action. It helps us understand the children and families we’re supporting – including those experiencing vulnerability, trauma, or cultural and language barriers – and make the case for what’s needed next. I want to thank every single person who completed it. It’s part of how we build the evidence base to secure the next round of investment for children, not just in what Goodstart is investing in supporting social inclusion programs, professional development and allied health services, rather building the case for improved government investment.
We need the community and government to understand that inclusion isn’t only about children with disability. It’s also about children from families who feel marginalised, who’ve experienced trauma, or who come from cultural backgrounds where early learning feels unfamiliar.
We know – from evidence – that if we identify and address those barriers early, and form strong partnerships with families through inclusive early learning centres, we can truly set children on a trajectory for success in school and life.
How do partnerships – across government, research, and philanthropy – help amplify our impact and policy goals?
We can’t do this alone. Collaborating with governments, universities, philanthropists and other community organisations allows us to test ideas, scale what works, and make sure we’re listening to – and learning from – different voices and perspectives.
We also draw on knowledge and expertise of global and Australian thought leaders, our founding syndicate, and our sector partners. That support, drive and credibility helps us win the debates about what’s needed for the children, including those most at risk of missing out on early learning.
Why is it so important that we continue to invest in and share high quality evidence – and how does that shape the broader sector?
Because sharing what we learn lifts the bar for the whole sector. As a not-for-profit, we have a responsibility not just to deliver impact – but to show what’s possible and help others do the same.
If you could fast-forward 15 years, what would success look like for Goodstart’s social impact mission?
Success looks like:
- Pay and conditions for our people at least matching – if not exceeding – those in schools and higher education.
- Early childhood education firmly recognised as the start of the education journey.
- Every family having the choice, flexibility and the opportunity to access high quality, inclusive early learning, after maternity or paternity leave.
- We have closed attainment gaps for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children starting school and absolutely thriving; and all non-Indigenous children have knowledge and understanding of our nation’s true history and are holding reconciliation with our First Peoples in their hearts as they go through school and life
- A balanced sector where every family, in every community, has the choice of a high-quality, inclusive, not-for-profit provider.
- Tracking the lifelong learning outcomes of the children at Goodstart today – seeing that they’ve done better in school, better in higher education, and gone on to be really successful in life.
That will confirm that the investments we’ve made in early childhood education are making a real difference.
Final thoughts?
I’m incredibly proud of the collective impact led by every single Goodstarter, every single day. That’s where the real change happens. I honestly believe I have one of the best jobs in the country – supporting and showcasing the amazing work done by our team and our sector. And at Goodstart, that work is being done by thousands of incredible people every day.