Coalition plans to abandon the National Quality Rating system for early childhood education and care services would take Australia backwards, the body representing early childhood educators said today.

This policy and further plans to review the Early Childhood national reform agenda runs in the face of research, which shows unequivocally that high quality early childhood experiences not only underwrite a childąs future but also future productivity said the CEO of Early Childhood Australia, Pam Cahir.

"The coalition says it supports high quality and standards for the sector but this is very difficult to believe in the face of these announcements.

A national quality agenda that provides qualified staff, a commitment to an early childhood learning framework and an improved staff:child ratio are essential to a system that works well for children, for families and for the nation.

Parents are entitled to a transparent system of accreditation, which tells them where their services stand in relation to the national quality standard, Ms Cahir said.

"While we are happy to see efforts to make childcare more affordable we are disappointed to see a complete disregard for quality in the sector.

"We are calling on commitments from both sides of politics to implement the national quality reform agenda endorsed by COAG last year.

Ms Cahir also said that although she supported moves to make childcare more affordable and the commitment by both parties to pay the Childcare Tax Rebate directly to services she also said that she would prefer to see the income related Child Care Benefit increased.

"And while affordable childcare is important, new research published in Australian Journal of Early Childhood shows that less than 10 per cent of women count cost as the most important factor in making a decision about childcare.

"Overwhelmingly the most important factors for women were about the quality of childcare such as qualifications and characteristics of the carer, the setting of the care, the environment and the Śchild-centrednessą of the care.

"So more work is needed to ensure that key elements of the national reform agenda are realised, in particular support for staff to upgrade their qualifications and to improve staff:child ratios.

For comment please contact:
Pam Cahir – 0407 008 524
Laura Maclean – 0423 377 567