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The Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, has announced that the Australian Government has directed an additional $5 million in early childhood education to expand initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
In announcing the increased funding, Minister Bishop said:
This extra $5 million funding is available over three years through the Parent School Partnerships Initiative program, taking the total funding to $86 million, with a focus on early childhood initiatives.
The Government is committed to supporting Indigenous parents help their children make a smooth transition from pre-school to school. Research has shown that early childhood is a critical period for the physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of children. Investing in early childhood education generates significant benefits for the child, family and the community as a whole.
It is expected that half the funding will be targeted at Indigenous children in remote areas of Australia.
The need for a national strategy
Calls have been made throughout the year for the Australian Government to develop a national strategy to outline a long term commitment to Indigenous children.
Muriel Bamblett, Chairperson of SNAICC, Australia's national peak body for Indigenous children, said in May 2006:
The recent controversies surrounding the high rates of child abuse and neglect in Indigenous communities highlight the need for a national commitment to protect our children from harm and secure for them the life opportunities other Australian children enjoy.
Australia's Indigenous communities need long term constructive support from Governments to deal with and move beyond the crisis in family violence, child abuse and child neglect.
— taken from the SNAICC website.
In making these calls to the Australian Government, SNAICC referred to the recommendations made in its 2003 study report, State of Denial – The Abuse and Neglect of Aboriginal Children in the Northern Territory.
ABC Online reports on the case of Cherbourg State School:
The Cherbourg State School, in south-east Queensland, says new programs have helped to raise the awareness of the importance of education in the community.
The school used a $74,000 Federal Government grant to develop the programs which include increasing the number of Indigenous children in early childhood education.
They have also turned the library into an Indigenous knowledge centre and are looking to set up a mentoring program with community members, elders and secondary students.
School principal Jo Ross says the children will get a better start with more parent involvement in their education.
'We figure if we give them the best opportunity to get their literacy started and their health sorted out and just the parents really switched on to the fact if their children come to school every day, then they'll make good progress, then we'll be onto a winning start,' she said.
— taken from the ABC Wide Bay Queensland website.
Related links on the Early Childhood Australia website
Read more about the Cherbourg State School in this article from Every Child magazine:
What to pack – The principal of Cherbourg State School runs through the list of essentials for teachers when heading to an Indigenous community
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