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Dec 2005 - The case for investment in early childhood |
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Graham Vimpani, Head of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Newcastle, has written an article for NewMatilda.com, highlighting the Government's worrying inactivity on early childhood issues. Professor Vimpani argues that the early childhood field needs an increased profile and investment from the Government.
The full article, ‘The Case for National Investment in Early Childhood', is available for download (pdf).
Published by NewMatilda.com, 16 November 2005.
Extract from ‘The Case for National Investment in Early Childhood':
Four years ago, the Prime Minister appointed Larry Anthony Australia's first ever Minister for Children. Under his leadership, a great deal of work was done in consultation with the states and territories to develop the framework for a National Agenda for Early Childhood (NAEC). But now, 12 months after the Minister lost his seat, there is no longer a specially designated Minister for Children and hence no one to champion the cause. Although the Communities for Children initiative of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy has a strong focus on supporting families with young children in around 43 struggling communities, the Early Childhood Agenda is no longer listed on the home page of the Department's website and the NAEC page hasn't been updated in three months. This, along with the Treasury's failure to include any reference to the importance of early childhood investment or care in its Intergenerational Report in 2002, is of great concern – this is despite the Australian government's substantial investment in supporting child care!
Further reading
Past news item from Early Childhood Australia:
Oct 2003 – Economic arguments for public funding of early childhood development
You might also be interested in this article on the Voices for Children website:
Never too early to invest in children: Early childhood education and care matters to business!
Extract from ‘Never too early to invest in children':
Over the past few decades, public sector, academic and community leaders have invested time, expertise, and resources to improve education and cultivate a prosperous world-class workforce. In this new millennium, it's become increasingly clear that one of the major missing pieces to better achieving this goal is pushing the envelope on early childhood education and care.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 07 December 2005 )
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