Child advocacy group Early Childhood Australia and Minister for Childcare Kate Ellis launched a new report today looking at the progress each state and territory is making towards the national reforms of the early childhood education and care sector.

The Our Future on the Line report by Early Childhood Australia (ECA), launched at KU Philip Park Children’s Centre in Sydney, examines national progress towards the new National Quality Framework and how each state and territory measures up.

ECA chief executive officer Pam Cahir said the report was the first look at how each state and territory is progressing.

'This report gives an update on what’s been done, where states and territories are at and what still needs to happen to ensure the reforms stay on track,' Ms Cahir said.

'It also lays out some of the changes early childhood education and care professionals can expect to see in the industry over the next couple of years.'

The National Quality Framework was agreed to in December 2009 and is being introduced over several years, with formal implementation beginning in January 2012.

'Already a number of the new standards have been adopted by states, which is great to see. Some states are even exceeding the standards.'

'The report highlights that these reforms are progressing and all states and territories are on track to meet the milestones outlined by COAG.'

'To stall now or roll back any of the reforms would be a big mistake and set early childhood education and care back, which would be bad for children and bad for the economy,' Ms Cahir said.

For more information contact:

Pam Cahir, 0407 008 524
Claire Johnston, 0434 489 533

View Our future on the line, keeping the early childhood education and care reforms on track (pdf 785 KB).