Kate Ellis MP writes about the children of child care that we must not forget.
If you bring the topic of child care up with any parent chances are you will be met with a knowing expression – quite often a grimace. Without a doubt, finding, choosing, understanding, and trusting our child care system can be one of the most daunting tasks a parent will face. Time and time again I hear from parents stories of dealing with the emotional dilemma which comes with returning to work, whilst struggling to find child care solutions.
The reality is, affordable, accessible child care is not only in the interests of families, but in Australia’s economic interests. We want parents, especially women, to feel empowered to return to work and it is important that child care enables them to do this.
In his State of the Nation address in January, President Obama recalled a powerful story of the value of child care. He said, “It’s not a nice-to-have — it’s a must-have. It’s time we stop treating child care as a side issue, or a women’s issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that it is for all of us.” I couldn’t agree more.
Read more: Struggling to find a child care place? Read this.
Treating early education and care as a national economic priority is not just about getting parents into the workforce – it is also about acknowledging the substantial benefits which come from investing in our children. I think this argument is often lost when we discuss the economic benefits of child care – I hear a lot of discussion about increased workforce participation from child care, but I don’t hear as much about the future productivity benefits of our children who have received quality early childhood education and care.
Child care does not equal child minding – our child care educators are passionate, qualified professionals and need to be acknowledged as such. The power of quality child care to enrich a child’s development should not be underestimated, in fact, with 90% of a child’s brain development occurring in the first five years of life, making sure children are exposed to a quality early education and care system which nurtures their growth is essential.
Here’s some evidence. A Pricewaterhouse Coopers report late last year found that the long-term gains in productivity from children who participate in quality child care when they enter the workforce is even greater than the gains from increased workforce participation from their parents.
When looking at children in disadvantaged families who were receiving no formal early childhood education, engaging them in early childhood education and care would boost Australia’s GDP by a further $13.3 billion by 2050.
Read more: BUSTED: The child care myth making parents feel guilty.
This is backed up by significant international research, which shows positive links between high quality early education and care and future cognitive abilities and school achievements, especially for children from disadvantaged families.
So while we want the benefits of child care to flow on to our workforce, equally we need to make sure that learning and development is at the centre of our system of early childhood education and care.
I’m passionate about not only having a conversation in this area but seeing action. I don’t want parents to fill out a child care form application alongside the birth certificate. I don’t want a parent to have to choose whether to go back to work or care for their child. But I do want every child to have access to early childhood education and care. I do want to celebrate and recognise the professional educators who are so critical to the development of our children.
Getting the mix right won’t be easy, but its importance should not be underestimated. And Labor’s commitment to reform in this area should not be underestimated either. We will pursue improvements to the sector and those improvements will be based on what is in the best interests of Australian children, as well as what is best for their parents.
Hon. Kate Ellis MP is the Shadow Minister for Education and Early Childhood.
Top Comments
Here's what I want to tell the government about child care. It's necessary. If you want women to be educated, and participate in the workforce...it's necessary. My two kids attend daycare part time and love it.....but what happens when they enter school? I'm a nurse...there is no 'flexible hours' or 'work from home' option. No way to pick the kids up by 3. If they don't have a spot in OOSH...what then? I lose my job, that's what. I don't have family who can help out, death fixed that. I've educated myself, I work, I pay taxes, I contribute to charities and ti society....but without childcare my options in life are limited.
I'd love for my little one (hoping there will be more than one but we'll have to wait and see) to stay home with me and his dad (on days when I work) til preschool, where ideally he'd go one day per week. We go to play group, swimming lessons and music class as his formal social activities and lots of other activities ( either with me, his dad, grandma or when we visit friends with kids). I really want to spend as much time as I can with him while he's little but I don't want him to miss out by not going to early child care. Are there resources that I can use to make sure I'm teaching him what he needs to know and to provide suggestions about providing opportunities to ensure he is developing good social skills and readiness for school?
I am really enjoying spending time together, watching and helping him learn things and feel like the months are flying by. I like reading about child development and learning especially because it feels so relevant to me now. If anyone, maybe some of the early childhood educators, have any links ESP for Internet resources, that they could suggest, I'd be really grateful
Hi River,
The best thing you can do to develop your child's social skills and cognitive development is to have a secure attachment with them. As a psychologist I am qualified to speak about this. In the first 3 years of life, a child learns how to socialise by being emotionally secure. They will then venture out and socialise from the security of their mother/parent's lap. Countless years of study/research and literature support this! Interestingly, there has been no suggestion of the negative effects of child care to children under the age of two years (again countless studies supporting this). As mentioned below, early education applies to 3 and 4 year old kinder not childcare. Both sides need to be investigated, hence the need to provide funding for nannies - at home with a baby/toddelr (whether it is a granparent or nanny). It is a very positive option for the child to be cared for one-on-one in their own home! Sorry to all those who put their children in child care. I certainly understand that their often isn't another option (e.g. maintaining career and job place). The government's (be it Labour or Liberal) need to consider all of the child care options!
Sorry I forgot to mention, google Attachment theory (Bowlby) and you will find reams of information about the importance of a secure attachmen. raising children.net.au and other similar websites have related articles.