Early Childhood Education and Care Report - qed.qld.gov.au · in preparation for the provision of the report to the premier on early ... (2007) as essential to the ... Fees at ABC

Report to the Premier of Queensland, The Hon Anna Bligh MP

Early Childhood Education and CareMarilyn McMeniman

Griffith UniversityJuly 2008

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TERMS OF REFERENCETo provide the Queensland Government with independent advice on:

• The proposed integrated model for providing universal access to pre-Preparatory (pre-Prep) in Queensland

• The appropriate roles and responsibilities of agencies (including any machinery of government changes) necessary for the roll out of universal access to pre-Prep in Queensland

• Workforce management issues associated with universal access to pre-Prep

• Tactical stakeholder support on an as-needs basis, in the context of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) negotiations and early childhood matters.

advisor: Professor Marilyn McMeniman Griffith University

team Members: Carol Markie-Dadds Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) Dr Beverley Flúckiger Department of Education, Training and the Arts (DETA) David Mayocchi Griffith University

This document does not represent government policy.

© The State of Queensland (Department of the Premier and Cabinet) 2008

The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination of information. However copyright protects this document. The State of Queensland has no objection to this material being reproduced, made available online or electronically but only if the authors are recognised and the material remains unaltered. Copyright enquiries about this publication should be directed to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, by email to [email protected] or in writing to PO Box 15185, City East QLD 4002.

early Childhood education and Care

(i)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Terms of reference ................................................................................................................................ (i)Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................1Term of reference 1 ................................................................................................................................5 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................10Term of reference 2 ..............................................................................................................................11 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................16Term of reference 3 ..............................................................................................................................17 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................25References ..........................................................................................................................................26Appendix 1 ..........................................................................................................................................27Appendix 2 ..........................................................................................................................................28Appendix 3 ..........................................................................................................................................34Appendix 4 ..........................................................................................................................................35Appendix 5 ...........................................................................................................................................36

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INTRODUCTIONin preparation for the provision of the report to the premier on early Childhood education and Care (eCeC), a program of consultations and site visits was undertaken with a number of key stakeholders and interstate government departments. this program, including the visits to a number of eCeC centres in Queensland, new South Wales, Victoria and South australia, is detailed in appendix 1.

Evidence from the consultations and site visits supported national and international research findings of a strong causal relationship between quality early childhood experiences and lifelong social, health and economic benefits. Investment in the early years is seen to be the most effective way of preventing the cumulative deficit associated with poor quality early childhood experiences.

Two widely-cited, international studies provide persuasive evidence of the long-term, beneficial effects of a quality preschool environment: the longitudinal High/Scope Perry preschool study in the United States (Schweinhart, 2005) and the Effective Provision of Preschool Education (EPPE) project in the United Kingdom (Sylva et al, 2003).

A growing and comprehensive evidence base supports the finding that the early years are instrumental in lifelong learning and well-being, and, most importantly, that learning begins at birth. This evidence draws on research from neuroscience, developmental psychology, social sciences, anthropology, epidemiology and other disciplines to demonstrate the positive benefits of early learning on brain and child development, learning, behaviour, and health throughout all stages of life (McCain and Mustard, 1999; 2002).

From an economic perspective, researchers conclude that the best way to improve the workforce of the 21st century is to invest in early education to ensure that even the most disadvantaged children have the opportunity to succeed alongside their more advantaged peers (Heckman and Masterov, 2004). Work in Queensland by Homel and others (2006) highlights the benefits of prevention and early support in relation to child development, parenting, community support and education.

a quality early learning experience

The following characteristics of centre-based early education and care programs are identified by early childhood researchers at the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child (2007) as essential to the provision of a quality early learning experience for 3½ - 4½ year olds: • qualified early childhood teachers• a language rich environment• age-appropriate, play-based curricula tailored to the individual needs of

each child• small class sizes (optimal is less than 16 but no more than 24) and high

adult-to-child ratios (optimal is 1:8 but no more than 1:12) • stimulating materials in a safe physical setting• warm responsive interactions between staff and children • a consistent level of child attendance.


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recent australian Government initiatives

The 2008-2009 Education Budget statement released by Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 13 May announced a national early childhood reform agenda to provide high-quality, accessible and affordable early childhood education and care. Funding initiatives include:

• $533.5 million to provide universal access to a quality early childhood education program for all Australian children by 2013. This program would be delivered by degree qualified early childhood teachers for 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year, and would be available to all children in the year before they commence formal schooling.

• $2.5 million in 2008-2009 to develop a National Early Years Learning Framework that will describe the capabilities that demonstrate the continuum of development for very young people, and provide consistent requirements for the delivery of high quality programs across sectors and jurisdictions.

• $126.6 million to build a well-skilled and capable early childhood workforce, with 1500 new university places for early childhood teachers, removal of TAFE fees for child care diploma and advanced diploma courses, and HECS remission for early childhood teachers working in regional and high-disadvantage areas.

• $114.5 million to establish an additional 260 child care and early learning centres (including 6 autism-specific centres) in areas of need.

• $22.2 million to strengthen accreditation standards and introduce a quality A-E rating system to drive continuous improvements in quality child care and preschool.

• $1.6 billion to increase the rate and frequency of the Child Care Tax Rebate payment to parents.

• $15.9 million over four years to roll-out the Australian Early Development Index, providing a national census of school readiness of Australian children entering their first year of formal schooling in 2009.

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In addition to the Budget statement, the COAG Agenda papers ( 22 May, 2008) commit recurrent funding of $450 million to be distributed to the States and Territories from 2013 through a Specific Purpose Payment (SPP) to provide continuing funding for universal access to pre-Prep. Queensland’s pro rata funding from this amount is expected to be $90 million annually (Department of Communities, June 2008).

With the exception of the recurrent funding of $450 million, these Budget changes take effect from July 2008 and will support the provision of early education programs within existing approved child care services including long day care. Families accessing these services may be eligible for two types of payments to assist with the cost of child care for long day care, family day care, occasional care, outside school hours care, vacation care and registered care: (i) Child Care Benefit (CCB) and (ii) Child Care Tax Rebate (CCTR). As a result of the changes, stand-alone pre-Prep programs offered by the Crèche and Kindergarten Association of Queensland (C&K) or other not-for-profit organisations such as non-state schools, may not be as financially attractive to parents. Parents will now be able to claim only $6-$10 per week at a stand-alone pre-Prep program, whereas families accessing pre-Prep programs embedded in a long day care model will be eligible for the 50% CCTR and, depending on their income, may also receive CCB (income less than $126,000 per annum).

Table 1 on the following page summarises current fees payable in Queensland and the different funding outcomes for pre-Prep services funded by the Australian Government.


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table 1. funding outcomes for pre-prep services resulting from australian Government funding initiatives.

Kindergarten C&K Kindy Plus Long Day Care (LDC)Type of care Registered Approved Approved

Eligible for CCB Yes, regardless of income level

Yes, if income is less than $126,000

Yes, if income is less than $126,000

Eligible for CCTR No Yes Yes

Fee charged $19 per day* $42 per day* $60 per day

CCB payable

$3.49 ($0.581 per hour for 6 hours/day)

Up to $3.47 per hour for 9 hours/day

Up to $3.47 per hour for 10 hours/day

CCTR payable Nil 50% of net out of pocket expenses

50% of net out of pocket expenses

Out of pocket expensesLow Income (< $36,573)

$15.51 for 6 hours of ECEC


$12.65 for up to 10 hours of ECEC

Mid Income ($75,000)




High Income (> $126,000)




* Current fee arrangements reflect State Government kindergarten subsidy paid to community kindergartens.

Source: Australian Government, Family Assistance Office June 2008.

Current child care and kindergarten fees in Queensland

The fees charged by long day care centres vary considerably across centres and locations. Fees at ABC Learning Centres are approximately $62 a day, $2 below the May 2008 Federal Budget estimate of $64 a day for long day care (www.news.com.au). Current fees at community kindergartens are also variable. A typical daily fee for pre-Prep is $19 (Salisbury C&K, Brisbane). Recently, however, a number of C&K centres have extended their hours and provide care for up to 3 hours after the pre-Prep program. recent Queensland initiatives

At a State level, the Queensland Government has detailed its Early Years initiatives in the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Reform Agenda paper Queensland’s Plan to Address Early Childhood Education and Care Reforms. These initiatives include:

• improving ante-natal care

• strengthening health, development and learning from birth to 5 years

• enhancing the provision of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services

• Early Years Workforce

• an Indigenous pre-Prep program Bound for Success. The Bound for Success program is described in greater detail under Term of reference 3.

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TERM OF REFERENCE 1 advice on the proposed integrated model for providing universal access to pre-prep in Queensland

the current Queensland context

In 2007, Queensland introduced a full time preparatory (Prep) year of education prior to Year 1 for children aged 4½ - 5½ years of age. Prep replaced the previous part-time provision of preschool (which ceased at the end of 2006) and also raised the minimum starting age for Year 1 from 5 years to 5½ years of age.

Data is not yet available to assess the impact of the Prep year on the participation of 3½ - 4½ year olds in centre-based early education and care. Current data, however, indicate that only about 30% of 3½ - 4½ year olds in Queensland access a quality early education program delivered by a qualified teacher for 11 to 16½ hours per week through the Department of Education Community Kindergarten Assistance Scheme (DECKAS), and to a lesser extent through the Indigenous pre-Prep (Bound for Success) program. The 2005 data for child care in Queensland prior to the introduction of Prep revealed that 42.9% of 3 - 4 year olds attended a long day care centre (ABS - 4402 Child Care Australia). Approximately 7.5% of Queensland children accessed family day care and a further 17.1% of children accessed informal care only (e.g. grandparents, relative, or other person).

In sum, the data suggest that the majority of Queensland’s 3 - 4 year olds access centre-based education and care services. As at April 2008, there were 2405 centre-based services licensed to provide child care in Queensland.

The great majority (83%) of long day care centres in Queensland are operated

by commercial providers. Of the 1171 commercial providers in Queensland, ABC Developmental Learning account for 377 or 32% of the centres.

table 2. number of licensed centre-based child care services in Queensland.

Centre based service

Long day care centres Kindergarten1 Limited Hours Care Outside School

Hours CareProviderCommercial 1171 2 1 51Community 199 337 54 448Government 24 0 10 24Non-government 24 9 0 51Totals 1418 348 65 574

Source: Office for Children, Department of Communities, Queensland (April 2008).

Additional demographic information relating to Queensland’s population of 3½ - 4½ year olds, child care shortage (3½ - 4½ yr olds) and SIEFA disadvantage index is attached in Appendix 2. Also included are maps on each of these populations specific to the Greater Brisbane Area. The maps indicate quite clearly areas of socio-economic and infrastructure need. In addition, the maps provide information relating to those areas with a current surplus of child care places.

Comparison with other australian jurisdictions

There is a wide variation in the preschool/pre-Prep arrangements across Australia in respect to terminology, definitions, providers and regulation. This makes comparison of preschool provision across different jurisdictions quite complex. In general, however, a preschool program is targeted at 4 year old children and provided in the year before they start school (two years prior to Year 1). A summary of provision for this age group is presented in the following table.

1In Queensland, kindergarten is used to describe a centre-based facility that provides early education programs, delivered by qualified teachers, to children aged from three years up to compulsory school age. These centres are usually open only during school term between the hours of 9am and 3pm.


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table 3. pre-prep provision in other australian jurisdictions.

State Name of Program

Average Hours Attendance per Week

Estimated Attendance (% of 4 year olds)

Estimated Attendance (number of 4 year olds)

Provider

NSW Preschool 17 64.4% 54,181Department of Education and Training & Department of Community Services

Vic Kindergarten 10 96.8% 59,453Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (established 2007)

SA Kindergarten 11 93.1% 16,320Department of Education and Children’s Services (established 1993)

WA Kindergarten 11 101.5% 25,569 Department of Education and Training

Tas Kindergarten 11 100.4% 5,994 Department of Education

ACT Preschool 12 83.3% 3,378 Department of Education and Training

NT Preschool 12 77.9% 2,838 Department of Employment, Education and Training

NOTE: Data relating to attendance are considerably distorted by double-counting in some instances, and under-reporting in others. Data for Queensland (not included in this Table) are unreliable due to the full introduction of Prep by 2008.

Source: Parliament of Australia, May 2008.

Due to differences in data sources and definitions across States, data are not directly comparable. This report lists Queensland with a 103.1% attendance in the year before school. This is an anomaly, however, associated with the introduction of the Prep year across Queensland schools. Once data relating to school based Prep attendance and facilities are removed, it is estimated that Queensland has only 30% preschool provision in the kindergarten sector. Thus, there is a sense of urgency in increasing the capacity of the pre-Prep sector in Queensland if the goal of universal pre-Prep is to be realised by 2013.

This is a fortuitous time to be increasing capacity as new evidence-based approaches to ECEC are changing conceptions of where and how education and care might best be delivered in the early years.

In those States and Territories where current pre-Prep provision stands at 85% or more of the eligible cohort, the creation of integrated-services ECEC centres is now the prevailing policy position. These integrated-services centres are akin to what the Prime Minister described as Parent and Child Centres (PCCs) at Summit 2020 in April 2008. These child care centres, co-located with schools, would provide day care, preschool learning and health services for all children up to the age of five years, along with support programs for parents.

PCCs represent the ECEC centres of the future and are likely to be rolled out in increasing numbers. Queensland is taking its first steps along this path with planning well-advanced for the establishment of four Early Years Centres. As these centres and additional ones are rolled out over the next 5 to 10 years, it will be useful to look at existing infrastructure in and around Early Childhood Development Units (ECDUs) and consider how these services might form part of an integrated-services PCC. The same planning should apply to the nationally funded autism centre in Queensland to determine how this centre might be embedded in the existing services infrastructure. To date, the Victorian Government has established 45 Children’s Centres and committed funding for an additional 45 centres. The South Australian Government has announced that 20 Children’s Centres will be created over the next few years with 7 already operational. These latter centres in South Australia have experienced increasing demand from parents for integrated pre-Prep provision within their overall service provision.

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The model of best fit for Queensland: an integrated, cross-sectoral model for universal pre-prep provision by 2013

Given the data presented above as well as the Federal and State Government imperatives relating to ECEC, the indications are that Queensland should move to an integrated2, cross-sectoral model to achieve universal access to pre-Prep by 2013.

An integrated model refers to the integration of 15 hours of quality early learning pre-Prep experience for 3½ - 4½ year olds for 40 weeks per year within the existing programs of the multi-sector ECEC environment. This latter environment consists of four sectors: commercial, community-based, government and non-government.

The integrated model embeds an education program within a child care service, including long day care or limited hours care settings. The cross-sectoral model would deliver pre-Prep across all four sectors within Queensland’s ECEC environment.

The bringing together of the integrated and cross-sectoral model provides choice for parents and ensures that Queensland can close the challenging 70% pre-Prep provision gap and solve any associated workforce issues by 2013.

2The term “integrated” is also used to describe ECEC centres that bring together a mix of services for young children from birth to eight years and their families, at one convenient location – typically on or near a school site. These services generally include high quality early education and care, child health information, parenting and family support, playgroups and early assessment of children’s learning needs and intervention programs.

advantages of the model

• Strategic and cost-effective use of community infrastructure and resources. Unlike other jurisdictions, Queensland’s current ECEC provision is anchored predominantly in the commercial sector. Rather than duplicate infrastructure or potentially reduce the sustainability of existing ECEC services, the integrated, cross-sectoral model capitalises on existing facilities and resources, within both the community, government and commercial sectors. Notwithstanding this optimal use of all existing infrastructure, Queensland will still need significant funding for infrastructure in communities with few or no services, and the redressing of the uneven distribution of services in other communities.

• Alignment with the research evidence-base and international best practice. An integrated, cross-sectoral model promoting the integration of education and care services is consistent with the evidence-base and aligns well with international best practice. Quality centre-based pre-Prep experiences delivered by qualified staff result in enhanced life outcomes for children, particularly disadvantaged children.

• Supporting parental choice. The integrated, cross-sectoral model allows all children access to a high quality educational program regardless of the setting. This approach maximises parent choice among providers. Based on the Victorian experience, a significant number of parents do not want or require care in addition to that provided by the pre-Prep program and thus have no call on long day care. However, parents who require long day care should be confident their child is receiving the same quality education program available in a stand-alone pre-Prep program. The integrated, cross-sectoral model allows for continuation and expansion of stand-alone centres as well as integration of pre-Prep within existing long day care services.


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• Maximising access to Commonwealth funding. Adoption of the model will maximise access for Queensland parents to the Commonwealth funding allocated to achieve universal access to pre-Prep. The Commonwealth will provide two types of funding support: (i) payments to State governments to roll-out universal access to pre-Prep; and (ii) payments to parents to assist with the cost of child care.

Current Queensland regulation and funding for pre-prep

The regulation, support and licensing of kindergartens and child care centres is undertaken by the Department of Communities. However, the distribution of funding and the monitoring of programs for pre-Prep education in not-for-profit community kindergartens are outsourced by the Department of Education, Training and the Arts (DETA) to the Crèche and Kindergarten Association of Queensland (C&K).

1. Department of education Community Kindergarten assistance Scheme (DeCKaS)

Currently, the Queensland Government allocates $34 million per annum through DECKAS for the provision of pre-Prep education programs by a registered teacher to children aged 3½ - 4½ (the year before Prep) in not-for-profit community kindergartens.

Under DECKAS, C&K distributes funding on behalf of DETA and monitors the educational and operational standards of community kindergartens in accordance with a service agreement with DETA. This agreement expires on 30 June 2009.

In June 2007, DETA engaged Allen Consulting Group to review DECKAS. The consultant’s final report (October, 2007) recommends changes to the governance, funding and operations of community kindergartens:

• Governance - ECEC responsibilities be consolidated in one department along with authority to regulate standards and distribute funding directly to community kindergartens.

• Funding - all not-for-profit community kindergartens to be funded on a fixed amount per kindergarten in addition to a per child enrolled amount based on need.

• Operations – encourage the establishment of new community kindergartens using a needs based planning resource allocation framework based on revised eligibility criteria.

The report also flagged that revised governance arrangements should address the perceived conflict of interest of C&K in its role as regulator, service provider and distributor of funding to community kindergartens. This is an important recommendation as under the proposed integrated, cross-sectoral model, it would no longer be appropriate to outsource the regulation of pre-Prep to C&K. Prior to April 2007, C&K had a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Communities for C&K consultants to act as authorised officers under the Child Care Act and assess compliance etc. of centres for licensing purposes. Currently, however, C&K still regulates conditions for C&K affiliation and pre-Prep provision under the terms of the MOU with DETA for DECKAS funding.

The changes to DECKAS recommended in the Allen Consulting report are intended to achieve improved accessibility and quality of ECEC services in Queensland as well as enhance the government’s capacity to direct investment toward areas experiencing disadvantage and market failure.

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Because the Allen Consulting review was completed prior to the Rudd Government’s election, the review does not consider the implications of a roll-out of universal access to pre-Prep by 2013. This Rudd commitment, and the additional Commonwealth funding announced in the 2008 budget, has altered the early childhood education landscape in Queensland and brings additional challenges for the sector.

The adoption of an integrated, cross-sectoral model of pre-Prep in Queensland will have significant implications for the existing kindergarten sector. As Queensland grows its pre-Prep enrolment from 30% coverage delivered through kindergarten settings to universal access within integrated, cross-sectoral settings, existing kindergartens will face competition from a new range of pre-Prep providers, including long day care settings and new integrated Early Years Centres. Kindergartens will need to respond to greater demand for places (as more parents seek 15 hours of pre-Prep for their children) and greater competition from other providers (as quality education programs begin to be delivered by qualified teachers within the long day care sector). To contribute to the achievement of universal access and maximise the use of their existing infrastructure, kindergartens may need to re-work their operating models to maximise the enrolment of 3½ – 4½ year olds for 15 hours per week.

To ensure that the focus of the not-for-profit kindergarten sector remains on the achievement of universal access by 2013, and to provide additional planning certainty during this growth phase, transition funding arrangements may be needed. This funding could assist C&K and affiliated kindergartens to maximise enrolments and review their staffing and operating structures to ensure their long-term sustainability within the new cross-sectoral early childhood education landscape.

2. Bound for Success – pre-prep initiative

In 2006, the Queensland Government committed $23.1 million over four years to fund the improvement and expansion of pre-Prep services in Far North Queensland. This included capital funding to ensure that services were delivered in appropriate facilities. In Budget 2008, the Queensland Government delivered an additional $24.4 million over two years for the pre-Prep early learning program in 35 Indigenous communities.


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RECOMMENDATIONSrecommendation 1.1:

that Queensland adopt an integrated, cross-sectoral model of pre-prep provision which will include community-based kindergartens, commercial child care centres, government centres and non-government centres.

recommendation 1.2:

that Queensland adopt a contractual funding model across the sectors that ensures access to a quality early learning experience with qualified teachers for all 3½ – 4½ year olds, 15 hours a week for 40 weeks a year.

recommendation 1.3:

that Queensland re-examine the regulation of pre-prep programs and funding for early learning programs within the context of the 2008 review of the Child Care act and the planning for universal access to pre-prep in Queensland by 2013.

recommendation 1.4:

that Queensland adopt an integrated-services model for its planned parent Child Centres (pCCs at federal level and early Years Centres in Queensland) to incorporate maternal and child health, parenting programs, disability services, child care and pre-prep provision, and that these centres be located in areas of high need and co-located with schools as appropriate.

recommendation 1.5:

that in the roll out of universal pre-prep, Queensland give priority to those areas with little or no pre-prep service provision.

recommendation 1.6:

that Queensland work with the other States and territories towards a common set of terms and definitions for early childhood education and care (See Appendix 3 for a draft set of ECEC terms and definitions based on current national and international usage).

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TERM OF REFERENCE 2provision of independent advice on the appropriate roles and responsibilities of agencies (including any machinery of government changes) necessary for the roll out of universal access to pre-prep in Queensland

Current Queensland context

The health, development, education and well-being of young children in Queensland are currently supported by various government departments including Health, Communities, Disability Services and Education. Non-government organisations, local communities, volunteer care providers and the private sector also deliver services, sometimes in partnership with government departments.

Pre-Prep programs for 3 ½ – 4 ½ year old children are delivered in the main by the non-government sector. The Crèche and Kindergarten Association of Queensland (C&K) is funded by the Queensland Government through DECKAS to provide pre-Prep programs. Programs for Indigenous children in some remote areas (Bound for Success) are managed by DETA, and a small number of non-state schools also offer kindergarten.

Education Queensland currently provides early childhood development programs for children of pre-Prep age with identified special needs, and their families, through Early Childhood Development Units (ECDUs) located on or near school sites. Disability Services Queensland also provides services to families with a child aged up to 6 years at risk of a significant development delay to help promote their child’s developmental learning and inclusion in the local community.

The regulation, support and licensing of kindergartens and child care centres is undertaken by the Department of Communities. This Department also procures a range of child and family support services, aimed at achieving good health and well-being for 3 ½ – 4 ½ year olds. In addition, Queensland Health provides community child health services (including health checks and parenting programs) as well as operating a range of Children’s Developmental Assessment Services.

Other agencies with responsibility for children in Queensland include the Department of Child Safety and the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. The Department of Child Safety is the lead agency for child protection and adoption services while the Commission promotes and protects the rights, interests and well-being of all Queenslanders under 18. The Commission operates independently of Queensland Government departments and agencies and reports directly to the Premier.

Comparison with other jurisdictions – information from State Government departments and eCeC Centres

With the election of the Rudd Labor Government in November 2007, responsibility for child care at the national level shifted from the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to a new Office of Early Childhood Education and Care within the Department for Education,


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Employment and Workplace Relations. In addition, Maxine McKew - Member of Parliament (MP), was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care.

This shift avoids the dichotomisation of education and care and recognises that learning is a part of every child’s development from birth. The alignment of care with education also reflects the importance that the new Australian Government places on investing in the early years and particularly in quality early learning programs. It is worth noting, however, that Australia’s expenditure on pre-primary education is the lowest in the OECD, at 0.1 % of GDP, compared with an OECD average of 0.5%.

With the exception of New South Wales, preschool education in Australia is within the Education portfolio. In New South Wales, the Office of Children’s Services within the Department of Community Services co-ordinates education and care in the preschool years, although the Department of Education and Training operates 100 preschools located in state primary schools.

In Victoria, responsibility for kindergarten provision (akin to pre-Prep) has shifted from the Department of Human Services to the new Department of Education and Early Childhood Development formed in 2007 with two Ministers: the Minister for Education and the Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development. An Office of Children and Early Childhood Development within this new department has a broad agenda, supporting the health, development and learning of Victoria’s young children, including kindergarten, capital grants for new kindergartens and children’s centres, maternal and child health services, primary school nursing, parenting services, early childhood intervention services, inclusion supports, support for Best Start local partnerships and planning, and the regulation and licensing of children’s services. The office also employs a Child Health Advisor to provide specialist medical advice to guide strategic policy innovation and improve outcomes for children across Victoria.

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In South Australia, the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS, established in 1993) is responsible to the Minister for Education and Children’s Services who is supported by the Minister Assisting in Early Childhood Development. The department has responsibility for ensuring the provision of children’s services and public education throughout the State. It administers the Children’s Services Act 1985 and the Education Act 1972, among others. An interministerial council meets regularly to ensure co-ordination across the relevant portfolios.

Within DECS, the Office of Early Childhood and Statewide Services leads and coordinates policy development, programs and services in collaboration with schools and early childhood services, families, districts and key partners. The key role of this office is the provision of preschool services, administration of Family Day Care, sponsorship of Outside School Hours Care programs, and the establishment and enforcement of minimum standards for all types of child care. It is responsible for learning improvement and support services and the early years’ curriculum. In addition, it provides a range of services to meet the needs of families including services to support children’s health and wellbeing along with parenting programs.

Feedback from departmental officers in Victoria, South Australia and NSW regarding the governance arrangements was of particular note. Officers in Victoria and South Australia reported a symbolic benefit of bringing together all early childhood programs under one department. Some departmental staff cautioned that these changes are not sufficient in themselves to bring improved integration and service delivery and that strong vision and leadership are necessary to ensure benefits are delivered from the portfolio changes.

Currently, South Australia has a public consultation process underway with the intent of creating a seamless Birth through Age 17 years Education and Early Childhood Development System represented by a single piece of legislation.

The proposed Act would replace the current Children’s Services Act 1985 and Education Act 1972.

In New South Wales, responsibility for all children’s education and care services (0-6 years) sits with an Office of Children’s Services, located within the Department of Community Services. Administratively, the integration of regulation, licensing and early learning provision within a single office was considered the critical element in the successful policy development, coordination and delivery of ECEC services.

a new model of governance for Queensland for children and early learning

Consistent with the evidence-based governance models used at the federal level and interstate, the establishment of an Office for Children and Early Learning is opportune.

Pre-Prep will form an important component of the new early education and care landscape in Queensland, and a new office that has responsibility for children in the early years would be a positive initiative. The office would be well-placed to ensure that early education and care are integrated and constitute a continuum for children from 0 - 4½ years of age. Such an office would also be in a position to strategically plan and coordinate the roll-out of universal access to the integrated, cross-sectoral provision of pre-Prep in Queensland and support Queensland’s contribution to the national ECEC agenda.

The early years are about early learning, with an emphasis on learning as a continuing process occurring from birth and continuing throughout life. As is the case for the majority of other Australian jurisdictions, Education is considered the most appropriate portfolio to hold responsibility for early learning.


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Given the central role that schools play in the lives of families with school-age children, it is not surprising that interstate, national and international jurisdictions are moving to the co-location and/or integration of ECEC centres and other health, parenting and family support services on or near school sites. With its extensive planning and infrastructure programs round learning and development, the Education portfolio is well-placed to inform state-wide planning and development of the range of ECEC services on school sites.

Through DECKAS, the Education portfolio is responsible for the management of the pre-Prep program currently reaching about 30% of the eligible cohort. The recent review of DECKAS by Allen Consulting Group (to be considered by Cabinet) recommends changes to the governance of community kindergartens. Essentially the consultants recommend that ECEC responsibilities be consolidated in one department together with authority to regulate standards and distribute funding directly to community kindergartens. The creation of an Office for Children and Early Learning is consistent with this recommendation. Stakeholders who participated in the DECKAS Review favoured consolidation of ECEC responsibilities within the Education portfolio.

In remote areas and areas of market failure, schools may represent the most appropriate alternate provider of children’s services including pre-Prep. The Bound for Success pre-Prep initiative is an example of the State government (through DETA) assuming responsibility for service provision in areas where no other providers are able to establish viable services.

Education Queensland currently has responsibility for Early Childhood Development Units (ECDUs) and provides services to children with a disability aged 0 - 6 years. The integration of ECEC responsibilities with Education may facilitate the expansion of some existing ECDUs into integrated Early Years Centres that are able to be used from 6am to 6pm Monday to Friday for 48 weeks or more a year. This proposed expansion is timely as the Australian Government has committed capital funding to establish new child care

centres or refurbish existing centres to provide another 260 child care and early learning Australia-wide. By leveraging these funds, the Queensland Government could transform existing ECDU facilities into the next tranche of state-of-the-art integrated-services Early Years Centres on or near school sites which combine education, care, health, parenting and other family support programs. The retention of ECDUs by the Education portfolio will formalise the case management and coordination role of Education Queensland in providing services and programs for children with a disability from 0 - 6 years.

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Retaining responsibility for ECDUs within Education also makes provision for teachers and other early childhood professionals to be embedded within a professional network, provides a continuum of ECEC for children with special needs from birth to at least age 12 years (i.e. end of primary school), maximises opportunities for inclusive education and maximises the government’s access to special education teachers.

From a workforce perspective, positioning ECEC within Education gives comparable professional recognition to teachers of early years, middle years and senior years. However, as noted in the following section, a number of legislative amendments would be required to ensure all teachers are eligible for full registration and are able to meet continuing professional learning requirements for continuing registration regardless of their work context.

Moreover, Education has a well-established regional and district structure to support outreach and professional support for teachers as well as other ECEC workers in isolated settings (e.g. family day care providers). Education Queensland has an extensive range of teaching and learning resources that could be made available to all ECEC settings where teachers are providing early learning programs. There is also an extensive virtual learning network that could provide a service for isolated children and teachers.

Discussions with relevant Queensland Ministers and the australian Government

It is clear after discussions with relevant Queensland and Australian Government portfolios, that there are a number of options for the roll-out of universal access to pre-Prep in Queensland and related governance issues.


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option 1 is to establish an Office for Children and Early Learning within DETA which would focus on pre-Prep and include:

• pre-Prep coordination, regulation, funding and curriculum in ECEC settings

• coordination of pre-Prep professional support and learning

• Early Childhood Development Units (ECDUs)

• policy development and research.

This would position the office in a portfolio where responsibility for learning, curriculum and teacher registration principally reside, with strong conduits to existing services especially those in the Communities and Health portfolios. Under this option, there would be no relocation of services between portfolios. There would, however, be movement within the Education portfolio where Early Childhood development programs and services prior to Prep including DECKAS, and the Early Childhood Development Units (ECDUs), would move to the new Office.

option 2 is to proceed with a whole-of-government Program Management approach which is the approach favoured by the Department of Communities.

option 3 is to establish an Office for Children and Early Learning as a Statutory Authority that would bring together pre-Prep (as in Option 1), Childcare and Early Years Centres (PCCs) and associated services. The office would buy-in/outsource services in arrangements with other portfolios such as Communities, Education and Health. The office would bring together child care and education and have responsibility for ECEC policy development, coordination of programs and regulation of these services and be responsible for early learning and care of children from birth to 4½ years of age. This

option is a long-term option and is arguably the best fit for the evidence base in early learning and the specific evidence that underscores the critical role of prevention and intervention from the earliest age of at-risk children, and the role that multidisciplinary specialists including qualified ECEC teachers play in this prevention and intervention.

in sum, all of these options could achieve the objective of universal access to pre-Prep in Queensland.

option 1 is likely to be a transition model as, subsequent to the roll-out of universal access to pre-Prep and as other States are already finding, learning programs with qualified teachers for 2½ – 3½ year olds may be required in the future.

option 2 requires little change to existing arrangements other than adding a superordinate management role to a central agency which reports to Premiers.

option 3 is the creation of an office with the powers and functions to fully integrate, coordinate and regulate early learning and care programs for children from birth to 4½ years of age. Importantly, this office would include the integrated-services Early Years Centres (PCCs), the centres of the future. This model would require ideally the powers of a Statutory Authority, reporting as do a number of other authorities directly to the Premier. The model is represented diagrammatically in Appendix 4.

RECOMMENDATIONSrecommendation 2.1

That Queensland establish an Office for Children and Early Learning.

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TERM OF REFERENCE 3provision of independent advice on workforce management issues associated with universal access to pre-prep.

Key workforce issues

A skilled and stable workforce is essential for the delivery of a quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) program. The integrated, cross-sectoral model proposed for Queensland requires programs to be delivered by a qualified teacher within existing and prospective early childhood service models. This creates a specific set of workforce issues related to:

• recruitment and skilling of staff

• alignment of awards, working conditions and appropriate resources

• management and delivery of a 15 hour a week program

• provision of continuing opportunities for

professional learning.

Current pre-prep provision in Queensland

Queensland has substantially fewer teachers in the current early childhood workforce than will be required to deliver universal access to a pre-Prep program. Currently, community kindergartens have pre-Prep programs delivered by qualified teachers. To receive DECKAS funding, community kindergartens are required to be affiliated with Crèche & Kindergarten Association of Queensland (C&K) who, in turn, require programs to be delivered by a qualified teacher. These teachers are supported by C&K consultants who provide professional support services. It is estimated that the community kindergarten sector has capacity for approximately 30% of the relevant age cohort.

Teaching qualifications for staff in the Early Childhood Education and Care sector are not legislated in the Queensland Child Care Act 2002. The Queensland Child Care Regulations 2003 stipulate group leaders in child care must have a minimum of a 2 year qualification in early childhood or child care studies. It is estimated that within the long day care sector approximately 8% of staff hold a Bachelor degree or postgraduate qualifications, not necessarily in education, and many centre directors do not have a degree or teaching qualification (Community Services Ministers’ Advisory Council, 2006). Given that 42.9% of 3½ - 4½ year olds are currently in long day care centres, Queensland authorities need to be aware that directors in these centres may not have teaching qualifications. This may have implications for the supervision of qualified teachers in the pre-Prep program.


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figure 1. Career pathway options in eCeC teaching

Primary Teacher, already registered without Early Childhood specialisation

Grad Cert early childhood education (no practicum)

.5 yr

Degree (not education) e.g. nursing, arts, psychology

Grad Diploma in early childhood education 1 yr

Advanced Diploma / Associate Degree Children’s Services

Bachelor degree in early childhood education 2 ½ yrs

Diploma Children’s Services; Educational Support; Childcare*

Bachelor degree in early childhood education 3 yrs

Bachelor degree in early childhood education 4 yrs

1year 2 years 3 years 4 years 4 .5 years Additional Study

Required

* TAFE Certificates III and IV may be credited towards a Diploma ■ Current qualification ■ Additional study required

Current pathways to qualified early childhood teacher status

The promotion of opportunities to work in the ECEC sector is seen as a priority. To address the workforce needs, a number of short and longer term measures can be activated. Career pathway options for ECEC staff to specialise and gain 4 year trained teacher status are outlined in the following table.

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Within Queensland at present, universities offer courses in early childhood ranging from Graduate Certificates to Bachelor degrees in a variety of modes. As illustrated in the Career Pathway Options in ECEC Teaching (Figure 1), registered Primary teachers may undertake a Graduate Certificate in early childhood education via flexible mode completed in 6 months, with little or no disruption to current employment. Similarly, early childhood professionals with degrees in other areas (e.g. nursing, psychology, allied health therapies) may be attracted to teaching if a specialisation was offered through a Graduate Diploma in early childhood education in a variety of flexible modes (part-time and/or online) that could be completed in 12 months without significant interruption to current employment. For those with Diplomas or Advanced Diplomas/Associate Degrees, credit towards a Bachelor degree would ensure that a supply of early childhood teaching graduates could be entering the pre-Prep workforce over the next 4 years. Data provided by DETA indicate that between 2005 and 2007, 879 students completed a Diploma and 85 completed an Advanced Diploma in Children’s Services.

To address the shortage of ECEC teachers nationally, the Australian Government has committed to fund 500 additional early childhood education university places each year from 2009 to 2011. Several Queensland universities have applied for these places. As an incentive to attract people to the profession, the Australian Government has committed to pay HECS for early childhood educators who agree to work in rural and regional areas, Indigenous communities and areas of socio-economic disadvantage for up to 5 years. DETA funded incentive schemes are already in place to attract state school teachers to work in Indigenous and remote areas.

There are a range of incentives for teachers who live and work in Indigenous community schools including the Remote Area Incentive Scheme that provides financial and systemic support on a sliding scale across the State according to remoteness. Teachers who complete service in an Indigenous community are supported in their return to preferred areas through the teacher transfer system.

Similarly, incentives will need to be considered to attract teachers to ECEC. Attracting teachers to work in less favourable conditions may be achieved through scholarships and HECS reduction. In an integrated, cross-sectoral model, the capacity of State government to provide incentives for teachers in non-government sectors will be more difficult. Owners and operators may need encouragement to offer bonuses and periodic flights home from remote areas to attract staff.

The improvements in qualification and staffing levels required to provide universal access to pre-Prep in the ECEC sector is one of the big challenges in the transition to universal access.


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towards universal access by 2013

The mode of delivery of early childhood education to 3½ - 4½ year olds presents another challenge when considering the co-extensive nature of pre-Prep delivery and determining how to provide 15 hours a week of education to children within long day care and kindergarten settings. Examples of program access models may include:

• two cohorts of children within one centre each week, each attending for a half day

• two cohorts of children attending full days for three days one week and two days the next

• teachers travelling between centres to deliver programs in metropolitan, provincial and some remote areas (This model is to be trialled in remote areas by C&K in 2008/09)

• program delivery through distance learning, for example School of the Air

• a mobile pre-Prep teacher with a resources van.

In all pre-Prep access models within a long day care program, it is important to strive for seamlessness in delivery of early learning and care programs. C.a.F.E. Enfield in Adelaide is an exemplar of this integration where preschoolers move across play-focused programs without disruption of learning.

A further option for very remote areas could involve virtual technology. South Australia is currently trialling a program using virtual technology at Port Augusta to link play centres in remote areas with local preschools.

DETA’s Bound for Success program provides an excellent example of how early learning programs can respond to specific community needs. Queensland state schools have provided 2 years of preschool in some Indigenous communities since the 1980s. The Bound for Success program was launched in 2005 to improve the quality and consistency of sessional early learning programs across 35 predominantly remote Indigenous communities (see Appendix 5). The pre-Prep program is delivered for the most part through leveraging state school infrastructure in 28 communities. In 2008, 481 children aged 3½ - 4½ years are enrolled in pre-Prep at state schools in these communities. In an additional 5 communities, pre-Prep is delivered through existing community child care centres or kindergartens. Draft guidelines for an early learning program in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities Foundations for Success have been developed by DETA in consultation with members of an expert advisory group and staff in pilot schools (DETA, June 2008).

Other workforce solutions may include:

• teachers working part-time with a set number of hours each week

• teachers working extended hours to accommodate two 3 hour programs or a 6 hour program each day

• teachers working part of a day in pre-Prep and the rest of the day in the school sector

• teachers working additional hours in an Early Years Centre or child care centre.

The number of teachers required for the delivery of pre-Prep will be dependent on the designated ratio of adults to children. International research indicates that the ratio impacts on the quality of the program (Ghazvini and Mullis, 2002; Howes, 1997). The National Association for the Education of Young

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Children (NAEYC) in the US advocates for a ratio of 1:8 with 16 children the maximum group size for 3 - 4 year olds. This enables optimum interaction and dialogue amongst adults and children which are seen to be major contributors to learning outcomes (Sylva et al, 2003).

Currently the Queensland Child Care Regulations 2003 stipulate a ratio of 1:12 with a maximum of 24 children in a group for early childhood settings. C&K have a ratio of 1:11 with a group size of 22. If Queensland is to deliver pre-Prep informed by NAEYC principles, then an ideal child-staff ratio is 1:8 with 1 qualified ECEC teacher, 1 teacher aide and 1 childcare worker in a group size maximum of 24 children. This articulates with the ratio recommended by NAEYC, and is consistent with current regulations for group size. In South Australia, where reach of service is greater than 90% for pre-Prep, there is one teacher for the first 10 children, a second teacher for the following 10 and a childcare worker for the remaining 10 in a group size of 30.

To estimate the number of teachers required to provide universal pre-Prep in Queensland, the experience of introducing the Prep year has provided guidance. Approximately 2036 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) teachers were required for a full-time Prep program. Depending on the model for delivery of the pre-Prep program, it can be estimated that the number of full time equivalent teachers required will range between 1020 - 1220 FTE. It is estimated that the DECKAS funded kindergarten sector has capacity for 30% of the pre-Prep cohort. On this basis, there is a 70% workforce deficit of 800 - 850 FTE teachers in the first instance.

In the long term, however, there may not be a critical undersupply of early childhood teachers in Queensland. DETA reports that currently in Queensland there is an excess supply of degree qualified early childhood teaching graduates. Available data from the Queensland College of Teachers (see Table 4) suggests that Queensland has approximately 1,893 ECEC registered teachers in Queensland, not teaching, and located across the state. It is important to note, however, that many retain registration while not seeking employment as teachers.

table 4. Distribution of registered eCeC teachers across Queensland not currently teaching

Very Remote Remote Moderately Accessible Accessible Highly Accessible Total

ECEC teachers 21 32 258 350 1232

1893

Source: Queensland College of Teachers (May, 2008)

In addition, the numbers of graduates from Queensland universities with early childhood teaching degrees are steady and relatively high. There were 756 early childhood graduates in 2006 and 914 in 2007. In 2006, approximately 300 were employed by Education Queensland, and an additional number


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were employed in the non-state sector. These numbers suggest no current critical shortage of ECEC teachers in Queensland. However, with the roll-out of pre-Prep, the challenge will be to provide universal access for all 3½ - 4½ year olds, as well as the attraction of ECEC teachers to work in long day care and kindergarten (non school) settings and in rural and remote areas.

table 5. Child Care services in Queensland showing socio-economic disadvantage in quantiles

LDC LHC Kind FDC LDC LHC Kind FDC LDC LHC Kind FDC LDC LHC Kind FDC LDC LHC Kind FDCVery Commercial 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0remote Commun Based 9 4 8 1 3 5 7 0 6 2 9 4 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0

Government 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0Non-Govt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Remote Commercial 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Commun Based 7 5 6 2 0 1 1 0 5 0 10 2 2 2 6 1 0 0 0 0Government 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Non-Govt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mod Commercial 18 0 0 0 37 0 0 0 69 0 0 1 45 0 1 0 4 0 0 0Access Commun Based 7 2 9 1 10 1 28 5 14 5 29 9 7 3 8 5 5 0 1 1

Government 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Non-Govt 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Access Commercial 0 0 0 0 79 0 0 1 77 1 0 0 32 0 0 0 16 0 0 0Commun Based 0 0 1 0 4 1 15 3 16 7 38 7 0 1 5 0 0 1 7 0Government 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Non-Govt 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Highly Commercial 65 0 1 0 122 0 0 0 150 0 0 1 267 0 0 0 161 0 0 0Access Commun Based 7 0 11 4 16 3 23 6 21 1 18 6 35 5 44 9 25 5 51 5

Government 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0Non-Govt 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 4 0 2 0 6 0 2 0Total 126 11 36 9 281 13 76 21 379 23 106 30 400 12 68 17 219 6 62 6

Derived from list of Service Providers provided by Dept of Communities (April 08) LDC = Long Day CareABS (2001) ARIA Index LHC = Limited Hours CareABS (2001) SEIFA (Disadvantage) Index Value in quantile ranges Kind = Kindergarten1 = Bottom 10% of SLAs (Less than 927) FDC = Family Day Care2 = 10 - 25% of SLAs (927 - 963)3 = 25 - 50% of SLAs (964 - 1000)4 = 50 - 75% of SLAs (1001 - 1046)5 = Top 25% of SLAs (Greater than 1047)

51 2 3 4

Derived from list of Service Providers provided by Department of Communites (April 08)

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awards and working conditions

Currently, differing awards and pay scales apply to teachers employed in state schools, non-government schools and community kindergartens in Queensland. The Queensland Teachers Union (QTU) negotiates awards for teachers in state schools, while the Queensland Independent Education Union (QIEU) negotiates awards for teachers in C&K and non-state schools. There is currently no award for qualified teachers in child care settings in Queensland. The differing awards result in significant variations in conditions and remuneration across the sector.

Currently, teachers in community kindergartens and non-state schools have 27 ½ contact hours per week while teachers in state primary schools have no more than 22 hours 10 minutes of contact hours. The provision of 15 hours of education to two cohorts of children each week would require 30 hours of contact with children each week. This is in excess of contact hours for teachers currently working in both community kindergartens and schools in Queensland.

To offset the extended hours of contact required to deliver pre-Prep programs and provide teachers with planning time (referred to as non-contact time in state primary schools), there are several options to consider. Teachers could be provided a regular, rostered day off to offset extended hours, reducing the hours they work each fortnight to align with ECEC teachers in schools. A resource of part-time teachers would be required to deliver the program on these days. Similarly, a resource of part-time teachers may be required to provide planning (non contact) time for pre-Prep teachers. As in South Australia, preschool teachers could be assigned one non-contact day a week for planning and/or planned professional development with colleagues. One key workforce issue is the lack of a teacher award within the child care sector. Another relates to the differing awards in the sectors. The alignment of

teachers’ awards and conditions is a priority if teachers are to be attracted to work in pre-Prep ECEC settings.

the registration of teachers with an early childhood education specialisation

In Queensland, currently, qualified teachers working in ECEC are not required to be registered as the responsibility of Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) is limited to schools. To gain full registration, teachers need to work in a school environment and be supervised by a registered teacher (usually by the school Principal).

The Queensland College of Teachers accredits teacher education university programs that lead to teacher qualification and registration. These programs include those with an early childhood education specialisation. Thus it is important that student teachers within these specialisations undertake practicums in appropriate early childhood settings, and for the purposes of this report, 3½ - 4½ year old pre-Prep programs. This would necessitate broadening the contexts in which teaching practicums and ongoing professional learning are undertaken to include 3½ - 4½ year old pre-Prep settings.


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On graduation, teachers are provisionally registered with QCT and qualified to teach in schools and other prescribed settings. It is important that the first year of teaching for teacher education graduates, including all pre-Prep ECEC settings, will allow movement from provisional to full registration as a teacher with QCT. Alternative models of supervision to those used in schools (where the Principal is supervisor) may be needed in ECEC settings where a fully registered teacher may not be available on site to supervise teachers’ progression to full registration. For example, a cluster approach or network model where visiting supervisors support teachers’ practice and assess their suitability for full registration may be an option.

There is potential to recognize ECEC as a specialised sector (0 to 8 years) that could be categorised as such within QCT registration. A service model that recognises and values equally the work of teachers in all ECEC settings could support career progression for early childhood teachers and allow movement between ECEC settings including in schools to Year 3. This could assist in attracting teachers into community kindergartens and long day care centres and facilitate portability of teaching credentials across sectors.

ongoing professional development

It is a requirement of QCT that teachers undergo regular professional development to maintain registration. Teachers who specialise in early childhood have a distinct set of knowledge and skills and it is important that teachers in pre-Prep, regardless of employment sector or location in Queensland, are afforded opportunities to continually update their professional knowledge and skills.

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RECOMMENDATIONSrecommendation 3.1

that Queensland adopt the eCeC career pathways in figure 1 and work with tafe Queensland, the Queensland Deans of education, the Queensland College of Teachers (including the diversification of practicum contexts) and the Queensland Studies authority (with reference to the pre-Prep curriculum) to provide the requisite qualified teaching workforce for universal access to pre-prep by 2013.

recommendation 3.2

that Queensland roll out the career pathways in figure 1 by targeting in the first instance unplaced, qualified Primary teachers who could undertake a Graduate Certificate in ECEC on-line and intensively within a one semester timeline without significant employment interruption.

recommendation 3.3

that Queensland College of teachers (QCt) re-examine its prescribed practicum sites in light of universal access to pre-prep and the learning contexts (community kindergartens and child care centres) in which eCeC practicum experience may be acquired and assessed.

recommendation 3.4

That Queensland review the awards and conditions for qualified ECEC teachers in pre-Prep contexts to attract qualified teachers to work in non-school settings.

recommendation 3.5

That Queensland consider an incentive scheme to attract ECEC qualified teachers to areas of need (rural, remote, and disadvantaged areas).

recommendation 3.6

that Queensland trial the South australian virtual technology pre-prep program for children in remote areas.


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REFERENCESAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2006) ABS 4402 Child Care 2005, Retrieved from www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/4402.0.

Australian Government (2008) Budget Statement by The Hon Julia Gillard MP 13 May 2008: Education Revolution 2008-09, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.

Communities Services Ministers’ Advisory Council (2006) National Children’s Services Workforce Study, Department of Human Services, Melbourne.

Harvard University Center on the Developing Child. (2007). A science-based framework for early childhood policy: Using evidence to improve outcomes learning, behaviour, and health for vulnerable children. Retrieved May, 2008 from: www.developingchild.harvard.edu/ content/downloads/Policy_Framework.pdf.

Heckman, J. & Masterov, D.V. (2004). The productivity argument for investing in young children. New York: Committee for Economic Development.

Homel, R., Freiberg, K., Lamb, C., Leech, M., Batchelor, S., Carr, A., Hay, I., Teague, R., & Elias, G. (2006). The Pathways to Prevention project: Doing developmental prevention in a disadvantaged community. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 323, 1-6.

McCain, M. & Mustard, J.F. (co-chairs) (1999). Early Years Study – Reversing the Brain Drain. Report to Ontario Children’s Secretariat.

McCain, M.N. & Mustard, J.F. (2002). The early years study three years later: From early child development to human development. Toronto: The Founders Network.

OECD (2006), Starting Strong II: Early Childhood Education and Care, OECD, Paris.

Parliament of Australia Parliamentary Library. Harrington, M. (2008) Background Note: Preschool Education In Australia, May 2008.

Schweinhart, L., (2005). High/Scope Perry Preschool study through age 40: Summary, conclusions and frequently asked questions. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.

Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I., Taggart, B. & Elliot, K. (2003). The effective provision of pre-school education (EPPE): Findings from the pre-school period. London: EPPE Office, The Institute of Education, University of London.

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Organisation Representatives Consulted

Department of Communities and Disability Services Queensland The Hon Lindy Nelson-Carr MP, Minister for Communities, Minister for Disability Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Seniors and Youth; and Linda Apelt, Director-General and senior staff.

Department of Education, Training and the Arts The Hon Rod Welford MP, Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts; and Rachel Hunter, Director-General and senior staff.

Member for Bennelong, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister The Hon Maxine McKew MP Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care, and senior staff.

Office of Higher Education, Queensland Ian Kimber, Executive Director.

Queensland College of Teachers John Ryan, Director.

Early Years Centre, North Gold Coast (Nerang) Dr Margaret Brechman-Toussaint, Manager, Early Years Centre; and Greg Antcliff, Senior Manager, Benevolent Society.

Early Years Centre, Caboolture Dr Susan Irvine, Chief Executive Officer, The Gowrie (Qld).

Department of Community Services, NSW John Mason, Director Policy, Children’s Services.

KU Children’s Services, NSW Sheridan Dudley, Chief Executive Officer; and Ros Meagher, Director KU Phoenix Preschool, Balmain.

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, VIC Jeanette Nagorcka, General Manager, Early Years Programs; Darlene Leach Manager, Early Learning and Development Services; Janice Robertson, Manager - Workforce Planning and Development Unit; and Anthony Raitman, Manager - Universal Early Years Services and Partnerships.

Poet’s Grove Family and Children’s Centre, Ellwood, VIC Virginia Lloyd, Children’s Services Co-Ordinator; and Jo Smale, Co-Ordinator Family and Children’s Services, City of Port Phillip.

University of Melbourne, VIC Professor Collette Tayler, Chair of Early Childhood Education and Care; and Dan Cloney, Research Assistant, Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC June McLoughlin, Associate Director, Programs; Dr Tim Moore, Senior Research Fellow; and Rachel Robertson, Senior Project Officer, Centre for Community Child Health.

Department of Education and Children’s Services, SA Gerry Mulhearn, Superintendent, Early Learning and Curriculum; Anna Lewkowicz, Senior Policy Adviser Early Childhood Strategy, and Sue Jackson, Office of Early Childhood and Statewide Services.

C.a.F.E. Enfield, Children’s Centre, SA Joan Gilbert, Director.

Ocean View College Children’s Centre, Taperoo, SA Sue Davies, Director.

Queensland Deans of Education Forum Professor Tanya Aspland (Chair) and colleagues.

Appendix 1Consultation and Site Visits Programme


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Appendix 2 (i) Estimated population aged 3.5 – 4.5 years across Queensland

Map prepared by the Applied Research and Analysis Unit, Strategic Evaluation and Research, Department of Communities, 2008

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Appendix 2 (ii) Areas of childcare shortage for children aged 3.5 – 4.5 years across Queensland

)

Bound for success sites



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Appendix 2 (iii) Areas of SEIFA (Disadvantage) across Queensland


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Appendix 2 (iv) Estimated population aged 3.5 – 4.5 years across Greater Brisbane



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Appendix 2 (v) Areas of childcare shortage for children aged 3.5 – 4.5 years across Greater Brisbane


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Appendix 2 (vi) Areas of SEIFA (Disadvantage) across Greater Brisbane



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Approved child care Care provided by a service that has been approved by the Australian Government to pass Child Care Benefit on to families as a reduction in their child care fees. Most Long Day Care, Family Day Care, before and after school care, vacation care, some in-home care and occasional care services offer approved care.

Children’s Services All government funded and/or provided child care and early education services for children aged 0-6 years.

Early Childhood Education and Care Includes both the range of formal care and education services for children under school age and in the early years of school (0-8 years).

Early Years The period of development (social, emotional, cognitive, behavioural) occurring from conception to age 8 years.

Family Day Care (FDC) Care for 0-12 years provided by registered carers within the career’s home and licensed as home-based care services. Local FDC coordination units oversee the placement of children, recruit and resource caregivers.

Formal Care Regulated care away from the child’s home. The main types of formal care are before and/or after School Care, Long Day Care, Family Day Care and Limited Hours Care.

Limited Hours care (LHC) LHC services provide care for up to 30 children at any one time for not more than 20 hours per week. They cater for children from birth to school age. They provide short-term care on a regular or irregular basis. Hours and days of operation vary from service to service.

Long Day Care (LDC) LDC centres primarily cater to children from birth to school age. They are open for at least eight hours a day, five days a week and 48 weeks /year.

Mobile Children’s Services Mobiles are travelling resource units which cater to families in rural and remote areas. Mobiles may offer a range of services including child care and preschool, as well as activities for older children, playgroups and toy libraries. The types of services offered very according to community needs.

Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) OSHC provides activities for children aged 4½ – 12 years before and after school hours and during school vacations.

Playgroups Playgroups provide activities for families with children aged birth to school age. Playgroups are usually attended by children in the company of their parents (or carers).

Preschool The term used for the early learning program delivered by a qualified early childhood teacher in the year prior to the commencement of full time primary school education. This year of early education is referred to as pre-Prep in Queensland.

Qualified early childhood teacher Persons who hold a university level teaching qualification that includes some specialisation in the early years (O-8 years) and provides eligibility for membership to the relevant state-based authority for registering teachers (i.e. Queensland College of Teachers).

Registered child care Care provided by nannies, grandparents, relatives or friends and, in some circumstances, private pre-schools, kindergartens, occasional care centres and outside school hours care centres that are registered with the Family Assistance Office.

Toy Libraries Toy libraries have toys and games available for borrowing by parents and/or other children’s services. The equipment is usually selected to assist children’s development. Some toy libraries are specifically targeted to children with special needs or to rural and remote areas via mobile services.

Year 1 minus 1 Refers to the timing of the first year of full-time school education available in each jurisdiction in the year prior to Year 1. This year is known as Prep in Queensland.

Year 1 minus 2 Refers to the timing of the educational provision (relative to school entry) described as preschool in the Commonwealth Government’s election commitment.

Appendix 3ECEC terms and definitions

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Appendix 4


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Appendix 5Pre-Prep in Identified Indigenous Communities in Queensland

Community pre-Prep enrolments 2008 3(where avail) Description of existing pre-Prep program – 2008 Cape YorkAurukun 21 stand alone group in licensed Child Care and Family Support Hub - co-located on state school site Hopevale stand alone group in community kindergarten Kowanyama 23 stand alone group in state school Lockhart River 19 multi age4 group in state school Mapoon 5 multi age group in state school Napranum stand alone group in community kindergarten Pormpuraaw 9 multi age group in state school Wujal Wujal stand alone group in community kindergartenTorres StraitBadu Island 22 stand alone group in state school (old offsite preschool)Boigu Island (Malu Kiwai) 8 stand alone group in state school Poruma (Coconut) Island 4 multi age group in state school Darnley (Erub)Island 7 multi age group in state school Dauan Island 1 multi age group in state school Hammond Island No pre-Prep program Horn Island 12 multi age group in state school Kubin (Mao Island) 3 multi age group in state school Mabuiag Island 6 multi age group in state school Mer (Murray) Island 14 stand alone group in state school Saibai Island 18 multi age group in state school St Pauls (Mao Island) 4 multi age group in state school Ugar (Stephen) Island 1 multi age group in state school Thursday Island 42 stand alone group in state school (old offsite preschool)Warraber (Sue) Island No pre-Prep programIama (Yam) Island 10 multi age group in state school Masig (Yorke) Island 8 multi age group in state school Northern Peninsula Bamaga (NPC) 25 stand alone group in state school (old offsite preschool) Injinoo (NPC) 21 stand alone group in state schoolNew Mapoon (NPC) Children attend pre-Prep at BamagaUmagico (NPC) Children attend pre-Prep at InjinooGulfDoomadgee 19 stand alone group in state school (old offsite preschool)Mornington Island 46 stand alone group in state school (old offsite preschool)OtherCherbourg 49 stand alone group in state school Palm Island 31 stand alone group in state school (old offsite preschool) Woorabinda stand alone group in licensed child care centreYarrabah 56 stand alone group in state school (old offsite preschool)

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Report to the Premier of Queensland, The Hon Anna Bligh MP

Early Childhood Education and CareMarilyn McMeniman

Griffith UniversityJuly 2008

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Documents

Early Childhood Education and Care Report - qed.qld.gov.au · in preparation for the provision of the report to the premier on early ... (2007) as essential to the ... Fees at ABC