Trevor Mallard: Budget gives more children head-start in early learning

COMMENT

A group of 10-year-olds is playing in the school playground. Some of the children are kicking a ball around, others are clambering over playground equipment and a handful are sitting talking. They're kids making the most of the school morning break.

But something sets them apart from others in the playground.

They're better at maths and reading than others of their age, and they have better intellectual and behavioural development than the others.

Research tells us that what helps to set these children apart is their participation in early education before going to school.

We're getting more and more research showing that intensive and regular participation in early childhood education has long-term educational benefits.

One study following a group of children through our education system checks up on them when they're 10 years old.

The study has found that the children who participated in early childhood education continue to do better in maths and literacy.

Initial indications from the 12-year-old check-up show this trend is continuing. Other studies show the positive impact of high-quality early childhood education on a child's intellectual, cognitive, social and behavioural development.

But for years early childhood education has been the poor relation in our education system. That's been a big mistake. And the Government is fixing it.

Early childhood education stole the education limelight in the Budget. We have proof of the benefits of early childhood education and we want more families to benefit.

The $365 million additional funding over the next four years is not paying for more of the same, or for what has taken place in early childhood education for decades.

It is paying for change, for quality, and it will make early childhood education more affordable and accessible to more children and families.

Community-based and private early childhood centres will all benefit, and there is additional help for rural centres. In fact, I'm advised that on average, private centres will receive an extra $140,000, while community-based centres will receive an extra $50,000 as a result of the Budget injection.

The investment is structured. It follows a well-thought-out strategic plan of action that is built on the foundations of lifting participation, improving the quality of early childhood education services and promoting collaboration.

We are going to make a real and substantial difference to a child's experience in early education.

This means new quality thresholds that services will have to meet, more qualified and registered teachers in each early childhood education service, higher pay for those teachers and better adult-child ratios in each service.

These quality improvements come at a price, and the Government won't be making parents - or centres - foot the bill.

At present, Government funding helps to pay for a child to receive early childhood education for up to 30 hours a week, and that keeps the costs down for parents. But the quality varies between services.

From April next year, every early childhood education service will be eligible for extra funding to help to cover the costs of delivering quality education to their communities for those 30 hours a week. It's a win-win situation.

Parents and children get a quality education, and they won't have to pay anything more for it.

Early childhood education providers have an incentive to deliver quality and employ more registered teachers because they'll get more money for it, and they'll be more attractive to their communities in the long run.

From July 2007, education for 3 and 4-year-olds will be free in community-based early childhood education services. This investment will more than double the number of services in which 3 and 4-year-olds can get free early childhood education.

Private centres won't miss out. They will receive about half (47 per cent) of the $307 million, which will also fund the free hours at community-based centres. This means they can either reduce their charges and/or increase their profits.

By 2007 the amount of Government money going into early childhood education will have increased by almost 80 per cent since 1999.

Add this to the Working for Families package, by which bigger childcare subsidies are going to more and more families, and we'll be well on track to ensuring every child gets the head-start that quality, affordable and accessible early childhood education can give them to their life and learning.

* Trevor Mallard is responding to critics who say the Budget's early childhood education measures discriminate against private pre-school centres.