The first five years of a child’s life are a vital period. Over this period the development of emotional, social, cognitive, and language skills occurs at a faster rate than during any other time of life. Research has consistently shown that these early years are crucial to laying the foundations for future academic achievement and social success. Children who have attended early childhood education experience benefits later in life.
Early education is essential public infrastructure. It is social and economic infrastructure that is fundamental to community wellbeing. A series of disturbing reports into child safety, alongside deep workforce shortages and rising costs for families, have revealed a system in Victoria and across the nation that is under stress. These problems are not incidental. They are in part the outcome of a market structure that treats early learning as a private commodity rather than a public good.
Victoria has an opportunity to lead national reform by re-establishing early childhood education and care as a public service, not a private market. A strong, sustainable ECEC system should rest on three principles:
1. Workforce justice: fair pay, secure jobs, and professional recognition for educators.
2. Public accountability: transparency in how public funds are spent, and clear standards for
safety and quality.
3. Community benefit: reinvestment in children and families, not in profits.
Rebalancing the system will not happen overnight, but it must begin now.