How do we achieve universal, high quality early childhood education?

1
How do we achieve universal, high quality early
childhood education?
Michaela Kronemann Australian Education Union
Kaleidoscope Changing Images of Childhood, ECA
Biennial Conference, 28 September 1 October
2005, Brisbane
2
Why does a qualified kindergarten teacher from
Victoria become a flight attendant?
3
Who is the AEU?
The Australian Education Union represents 165,000
teachers and education workers in public
education, from preschools to schools to TAFE
institutes, across Australia.

• Early childhood education is a key AEU priority
• 1998 AEU discussion paper Towards a National
  Plan for preschool education
• National Early Childhood Committee of ece
  practitioners
• ongoing consultations, roundtables, policy
  development
• 2004 Independent National Inquiry into preschool
  education.
• AEU position
• universal and equitable access to at least one
  year of free, high quality preschool
  education, to be extended to two years.
• national plan needed.
• Commonwealth government has a role to play.
• Early childhood education is a vital part of the
  education continuum.

4
And now?

• Some definitions
• Where we are up to now
• Some of the challenges we face in achieving ece
  as a universal right
• The (too gentle??) winds of change
• Issues to address
• Some next steps

5
Some definitions

• Ideally, early childhood development programs
  and the school system should be part of a
  continuum for children that extends from the
  early years through to adulthood. The brain
  develops in a seamless manner and what happens in
  the first years sets the base for later learning
  in the education system.

Early childhood education encompasses 0-8
years. Prime focus today on 3-5 year olds.

• (McCain and Mustard 1999, Reversing the Real
  Brain Drain early years Study Final Report )

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Defining preschool education

• Complexity of structures and provision in
  Australia
• Preschool is a planned educational program for
  children in the year before the first year of
  school. Children are usually aged between 4 - 5
  years of age. A qualified early childhood
  teacher, who has completed a degree in education,
  plans the program and is usually supported by a
  teacher assistant. (Walker 2004)

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OECD 2001 ECEC at the crossroads?

• There is much talk about a rethink of the
  framework (and some action).
• Need shared values or vision of children and
  childhood in Australia.
• Need strategies to bridge the divides, to
  overcome fragmentation.
• Whether this can occur without some radical
  restructuring between State and Commonwealth
  jurisdictions is debatableThere is a clear
  leadership role for the Commonwealth Government
  in forging such a strategy across jurisdictions,
  and for ECEC sector communities to work
  collaboratively to achieve more effective
  coordination across the education and care
  divide.
• Also pay, conditions and qualifications
  inclusion policies curriculum development
  balancing work-family resourcing/quality/access

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Where we are now funding

• Average country expenditure for 3-4 y.o. is 0.5
  of GDP.
• Australia spends 0.1 of GDP.

Australia is the lowest spending of 24
countries.
Commonwealth funding abolished in 1985.
OECD, Education at a Glance 2005
9
Where we are now structures of preschool
education

• Staffed and funded by Education Departments and
• integrated with schools in NT, Qld, Tasmania
  and WA.
• co-located with schools/stand alone mix in ACT
• a mix of stand alone and integrated models in SA.
• Community Services focus in NSW and Victoria.
  Community, private, local government providers,
  with a small number integrated with government
  schools.

Education departments also responsible for child
care in SA, Tasmania and ACT. New links emerging
between education and childcare and health in
some systems.
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Participation in preschool education

• 260,100 4 year olds in Australia in 2004
• 83.7 of 4 year olds in preschool in year before
  school
• around 17.1 of all 3 year olds attend preschool.

81.4
98.1
96.3
95.1
59.1
83.6
96.0
More than 40,000 children are missing out
101.0
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Independent national inquiry major findings

• From a national perspective, this inquiry found
  that preschool education is characterised by
  fragmentation, varying degrees of quality, no
  equitable access, and without a national vision,
  commitment or consistent approach. The number of
  different approaches, funding formulas,
  terminology, child ratios, curriculum, costs and
  delivery hours and models promote inequity across
  Australia for young children in their preschool
  year. p10

Kathy Walker, Independent Inquirer, 2004
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• I cant help feeling like it really is just the
  luck of the draw as to whether or not you receive
  a preschool education. It seems to depend upon
  where you live in Australia and not that you are
  Australian that provides you with equitable
  access to a free quality preschool education.

(School Principal)
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Key findings

• Children most likely to not have equal access
• Indigenous children
• Children living in poverty and or Low SES
• Children from Culturally and Linguistically
  Diverse Backgrounds
• Children with special needs
• (Walker 2004)

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Major findings

• Significant barriers exist in Australia
• that prevent equity of access.
• Lack of a national vision and commitment to
  preschool education is viewed as a major barrier
  to access of high quality preschool.
• Walker 2004

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Barriers to equity and access

• Geographic location- particularly rural and
  remote
• Inadequate transport
• Costs to parents - particularly in NSW and Vic.
• Lack of qualified early childhood teachers in
  some areas
• Lack of adequate funding, resources and supports
  for children with special needs
• Significant differences in government funding
  levels and models contribute to unequal
  access.

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• Differences in age of entry and terminology cause
  confusion and inequity
• Lack of links between services adds complexity
  and difficulty for families in understanding what
  and how to access
• Different government department responsibilities
  create gaps in curriculum continuity and
  transition challenges.
• Walker 2004

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Recommendations

• A national plan for preschool education be
  developed between the Commonwealth and states and
  territories to ensure equity and access to high
  quality preschool.
• A national framework and vision is coordinated
  through MCEETYA and DEST.
• Walker 2004

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Recommendations

• The provision of high quality and accessible
  preschool education is free for all children
  across Australia and is acknowledged at a federal
  level as a universal right.
• The Commonwealth reintroduce dedicated funding
  for preschool education and that Commonwealth and
  state and territory governments jointly provide
  the full costs of preschool education.

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Recommendations

• The Commonwealth and state and territory
  governments give priority to ensuring access to
  high quality preschool education for Indigenous
  children across the country.
• The Commonwealth, and state and territory
  governments provide a significant and immediate
  increase in funding to provide adequate supports
  and resources for children with special needs.

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Recommendations

• Preschools and child care centres across
  Australia come under the jurisdiction of the
  Departments of Education in each state and
  territory and provide continuity for children and
  families between child care, preschool and the
  first year of school.
• Walker 2004

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The (gentle?) winds of change

• The National Agenda for Early Childhood
• Improved national coherence of the early learning
  and care system
• Improved access and participation for all,
  particularly disadvantaged children and children
  with disabilities.
• Agreed national goals and access for all seen as
  long term aspirations.
• Cross portfolio perspective, but driven by FACS.
• No change to the traditional areas of government
  responsibility.
• Currently under discussion with states.

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Changes at the system level

• Moves to greater integration of services.
• Efforts to develop cross-portfolio approaches.
• Widespread efforts to improve participation.
• Changes reflect local history and culture and
  resourcing policies of governments.
• Three broad models care focussed education
  - focussed and a more holistic model for
  education and care.

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NSW and Victoria care-focussed model

• Preschool and school education in separate
  departments. Low funding for childrens services.
• Best Start/First Start programs to try and bring
  services together.
• Victorian commitment to childrens hubs
  preschool, child care, other programs in DHS.
  Funding for LDC will increase. Proposal to make
  teachers and childcare educators early years
  professionals government wants quality
  developmental experiences in early learning
  centres. Preschool teachers fleeing to primary.
• NSW preschool and child care under common DOCS
  regulations. Centres gt30 have teacher. Community
  centres reported to be in crisis especially
  preschools because of funding freeze. Parents
  paying 30 per day on average. 100 preschools
  attached to government schools.

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NSW and Victoria

• Preschool is seen as pre-education rather than
  as part of the education continuum and there are
  limited links to schools.
• Different government department responsibility
  for childcare, preschool and school is a
  challenge, particularly in Victoria and NSW.
  There are huge gaps in curriculum continuity for
  children, and transition from preschool to school
  is more challenging. Pay and award differences
  are significant and often create debate and
  division between services. (Walker 2004)

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Queensland and WA an education focussed model

• These are systems undergoing significant change,
  involving substantial changes to staffing and
  resources.
• WA has in recent years moved to full time
  pre-primary and shifted pre-primary and preschool
  onto school sites.
• Queensland is moving from sessional preschool in
  government schools to a full time prep year.

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ACT, SA, Tasmania more holistic views of
education and care

• ACT Co-locations of preschools, childcare and
  schools in new areas. Super schools preschool to
  year 10, co-located with childcare, with joint
  facilities with communities or independent
  schools.
• Contours of Learning curriculum for 0-8 links
  across sectors.
• promotes links between staff and offers greater
  continuity and flexibility for families.
• co-location itself does not necessarily ensure
  a productive liaison (Walker 2004 ) but it
  opens the possibilities.
• move to12 hours to allow for option of two full
  days of preschool.
• SA Report of Ministerial Inquiry - June 2005.
  Strengthened and integrated universal services,
  whole of government framework. 0-8 focus.
  Education and childrens services is lead
  Ministry for coordination.
• Child and family centres - bringing
  state-funded/employed preschool teachers into
  child care centres and child-care into preschool,
  some of them school-based.
• Need to upgrade qualifications (4 yr qual for
  leadership positions in childcare centres),
  coordinated professional development, address
  other employment/conditions issues eg
  portability.

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Co-location of childcare in Tasmania

• Preschool is an integral part of each school.
• Childcare services are increasingly being
  co-located on school sites.
• Staff work together in professional development,
  planning and information sharing
• Support for local clusters
• Easy accessibility, proximity and continuity for
  children and families
• Shared curriculum across care and education
  Essential Connections.
• ..at the end of the year, they just make the
  transition across to the big school with no
  worries. The teachers already know us all and we
  know most of them
• (parent at preschool).

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Preschool and childcare on school site

• There is a door with a round window between the
  childcare and the preschool. 3 year olds line up
  with their bags pretending to be four so they can
  go through the Magic Door There are no
  transition issues.

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What do parents want?

• Parents reported high levels of satisfaction in
  communities where there are strong links between
  child care, preschool and school and they are
  viewed by parents as all working together.
  These are shared sites or close locations where
  early childhood staff across child care,
  preschool and school are all known to families.
  (Walker 2004, p. 12)

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School as a community hub

• We had a wing at school not being used, we put
  the kinder here with a parent room with a one way
  mirror, this encouraged other groups to come in,
  Kid Safe moved in, other things in the community,
  parents with babies etc feel comfortable then to
  ease into kinder.
• there were lots of young mothers and single
  parents, some hanging around, wanted something
  they could do.
• So we extended our school so we catered for
  everyone. Parents rooms, lounge where they would
  relax, coffee, even sleep and we had Internet
  facilities.
• (Verbal submission to National Inquiry at
  Tasmanian forum)

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Issues to address

• Serious under-resourcing of early childhood
  education in Australia.(1.6b to provide
  preschool education to all 3 4 year olds to ACT
  level. Senate estimates )
• Divided structures across Australia.
• Need to address barriers to participation,
  especially for disadvantaged children.
• Growing privatisation of services.
• The pay, conditions and status of early childhood
  professionals.
• Lack of shared vision and commitment to universal
  preschool education.

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Some next steps

• A commitment to universal access to high quality,
  free preschool education for at least one year
  prior to school, moving towards two years for all
  (OECD).
• A clear vision and policy framework for children
  from 0-8. (OECD)
• Recognition of early childhood education as a
  vital part of the education continuum. The lead
  ministry (OECD) should be education. State
  education ministries could encompass
  e.c.services.
• A national plan to ensure equity and access,
  developed in partnership by the Commonwealth and
  states and territories.
• Reintroduction of Commonwealth funding so
  governments provide the full costs of preschool
  education for all children.
• Priority to be given to ensuring access for
  Indigenous children, children with special needs
  and disadvantaged children
• A commitment to quality education for all.

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Our next steps

• Talk to each other, find our common ground
• Identify the common principles and a vision we
  can share.
• Recognise that there is no one model to fit all
  systems/needs.
• Identify what we want to maintain and what we
  want to change.
• Investigate good international models UK, NZ,
  etc
• Establish priorities for action at all levels
• Involve parents
• Lobby politicians
• Dont take no for an answer.
• www.aeufederal.org.au
• mkronemann_at_aeufederal.org.au