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Jobs and Skills Summit Reflections

Jobs and Skills Summit Reflections

It was a privilege to attend the Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra earlier this month, which hosted 142 delegates, including members of National Cabinet, the state and territory premiers and chief ministers, industry groups, unions, employers,…
Greens push for free universal early childhood education and care

Greens push for free universal early childhood education and care

  This 2022 federal election we are calling on candidates across politics to support high quality early learning access, affordability, inclusion and stability for every child. On 2 May 2022 we invited cross-party leaders with…
Creating a world-class early education system

Creating a world-class early education system

As an early childhood educator in Melbourne, I found myself in a bit of a funk at the beginning of September. Working through the COVID-19 lockdowns had taken its toll. I think it’s a place many educators will probably identify with this year. I…
OECD Education at a Glance 2021

OECD Education at a Glance 2021

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives. It recently released the latest edition of the Education at a Glance report, which provides…
Finally, an ongoing commitment to funding preschool. But the conditions are hazy and ill-defined

Finally, an ongoing commitment to funding preschool. But the conditions are hazy and ill-defined

The 2021-22 budget includes funding for 15 hours per week of free preschool education for all children in the year before school. Although in his budget speech, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said there would be $2 billion for preschools, the budget…
ECA’s Federal Budget for early education

ECA’s Federal Budget for early education

Each year ECA prepares a pre-budget submission for the Commonwealth Government to ensure the views of the early childhood education and care sector can be incorporated into the Budget process. In late November 2020, the Assistant Treasurer…
Preschool benefits children and the economy. But the budget has left funding uncertain, again

Preschool benefits children and the economy. But the budget has left funding uncertain, again

During the COVID-19 crisis phase, all eyes have been on childcare, but preschool is an equally important driver of well-being and economic security for children and parents—and of economic productivity. Research has found for every dollar…
The Play-Doh ‘cookie’

The Play-Doh ‘cookie’

In WebWatch we often report on new research relevant for our sector. Last week a post focussing on new research out of the USA generated a great deal of discussion. The research relayed in WebWatch issue 323 focussed on a USA study analysing…
Whats the story with child care costs

What’s the story with child care costs?

The last week has seen a flurry of media releases and reports on the cost of child care and whether the new Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is achieving its goals of making childcare more affordable and boosting workforce participation. The conclusions…
eleb-blog

How the parties compare on key early childhood policies

Since the beginning of the election year, Early Childhood Australia (ECA) along with other early childhood peak bodies, research organisations, service providers and community groups has been promoting seven key policy areas as the Election…
the spoke budget

Budget 2019: little new for schools and even less for early childhood education experts respond

Frydenberg may claim education is critical to the prosperity of our country, but his budget does not reflect this. In his first budget speech, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said education was the ‘first defence of the nation […] it…
Copy paste and copy right

Copy paste and copy right

Children’s picture books, artworks and pop songs have been created to share. Right? It is not that simple. Early Childhood Australia has been working on a special Copyright Licence that protects early childhood services as well as the…