In this issue, we celebrate National Science Week which is taking place across Australia. In the past fortnight a number of reports have been released including the Early childhood and child care in summary report, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education 2015–16 Report, the final report of the Child Protection Systems Royal Commission in South Australia and the Valuing Children Initiative Benchmark Survey 2016. For early childhood teachers in Victoria it’s time to renew teacher registration and Tasmania has a new B4 Coalition to promote the importance of the early years. Funding has been announced for Victorian kindergartens and a plan has been outlined for the Targeted Early Intervention (TEI) program in NSW. We share resources that have been developed for teachers and students to learn about the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and link to a short film about family violence from the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA). It is also timely to learn more about the Keep funding 15 hours campaign.

Jump down to find out what the various ECA teams and projects have been up to and the new resources available for the early childhood sector.

Population growth and increased labour force participation will continue to support the demand for childcare services.

This year’s Bankwest Childcare Industry Overview Report revealed that population growth and increased labour force participation will continue to support the demand for childcare services, and that attracting and retaining staff remains a central issue for business owners and managers. Over the five years to 2015–16, industry revenue is expected to grow at an annualised rate of 11.7%, to $10.6 billion. The key driver behind this growth is increased government expenditure in the sector. Download the full report at bankwest.com.au/childcare.*

*The information contained in this publication is of a general nature and is not intended to be nor should it be considered as professional advice. You should not act on the basis of anything contained in this publication without first obtaining specific professional advice. Based in part on Bankwest Economic Updates, Australian Bureau of Statistics data used pursuant to the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia license (available online at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/) and the following IBISWorld Industry Report Q8710 Child Care Services in Australia February 2015. Bankwest, a division of Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124 AFSL/Australian credit licence 234945

The NSW Minister for Family and Community Services, Brad Hazzard, has announced a new directions paper which outlines a plan to reform the $150 million a year Targeted Early Intervention (TEI) program. Minister Hazzard has stated that more than 130 000 children, families and communities will benefit from reforms which promote increased early support to vulnerable families.

The Everyday Learning Series focuses attention on the everyday ways in which young children—babies, toddlers, preschoolers—can be supported in their growth and development. Aimed at parents, grandparents and carers of young children, the Everyday Learning Series offers simple, creative ideas on how to enhance children’s interactions with the world around them.

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