Childcare and preschool is too often treated as just babysitting, something needed to help women return to work. It is, but it’s also about much more than that.

Childcare advocates have long called on the Government to treat early learning in childcare and preschool as something all children should have equal access to, regardless of whether or not their parents work and regardless of how much their parents earn.

Now that Malcolm Turnbull has made a very important change to how childcare is handled in government, it’s hoped that some of these misconceptions will be addressed.

The Prime Minister has returned childcare to the Education portfolio, after spending some years in Social Services and being treated like a welfare issue. New Minister for Education, Simon Birmingham, will now be in charge of rolling out the $4.4 billion in childcare reforms, funded by unpopular cuts to the Paid Parental Scheme and Family Tax Benefits.

The move back to education gives hope to childcare advocates who envisage that real childcare reform can happen as long as it is treated as a valuable part of the education system for Australian children.

Childcare advocates have long call out the government for not treating early learning in childcare and preschool as something all children should have equal access to.

Jo Briskey at parent advocacy group The Parenthood is all for the change, saying it's important that childcare and preschool be prioritised by government.

Now she'd like to see plans to cut the  Paid Parental Leave and the Family Tax Benefits dropped.

Early Childhood Australia CEO, Samantha Page says that while her organisation understood the rationale for having it in the Social Services portfolio in order to focus on subsidy reform, she feels work can still be done without disconnecting early learning from education.

Prime Minister Turnbull stopped short of appointing a Minister for Children, as had been suggested by child advocacy groups, however Samantha Page says it's up to all portfolios to consider children.

It is hoped that work continues on major childcare issues such as affordability, accessibility and pay for childcare workers who, as any parent knows, play some of the most important roles in our children's lives and potentially their futures.

What reforms would you like to see for childcare in Australia?