Education Ministers have accepted all recommendations in the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority’s (ACECQA) rapid review to strengthen quality and safety in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services.
This review goes to the heart of what makes high quality ECEC - a qualified and capable workforce that are set up for success.
CEO of early childhood think-tank the Front Project, Dr Caroline Croser-Barlow, has backed the recommendations as a strong step forward for a high-quality, universal ECEC system.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates strong leadership from Ministers to tackle the missing middle – where quality falls between the cracks of Commonwealth and state responsibilities.
“Under the roof ratio is the perfect example of where a gap in the system can be misinterpreted for its intent, or at worst, be used by unscrupulous operators to cut costs. Ministers have made their expectations clear and will set stronger regulations for safe staffing practices.
“The evidence is clear that quality matters for children’s outcomes. Today’s announcements show that Ministers are prioritising reform where it matters most, the important relationships between educators and children.
“This is a promising step forward towards creating a universally safe ECEC system for all families.
These announcements should instil greater confidence for families that centres have the right number of educators to support the care, learning and safety of their children. For policymakers, it signals that the ECEC sector is driving tangible reform to achieve a stronger, more coordinated and future-focused system with children at the centre.
These measures will also make compliance clearer and more practical at the individual service level. They will remove ambiguity and reduce the risk of providers interpreting compliance as something assessed holistically across the entire sector.
“Removing “across the service” from the law will allow regulators to more easily assess quality in individual centres”, says Dr-Caroline Croser Barlow.
“The federal government now has a strong blueprint to drive real safety reform across ECEC.
ENDS
Media contact: Jane Austen, The Front Project, 0430 549 501,