AS government and societal pressure mounts to get more women back into the workforce post maternity leave, the downfalls of the early childhood education and care system are in the spotlight.
The first independent, national report undertaken by The Front Project, explores how families experience early childhood education and care (ECEC) across Australia shows a clear need to improve affordability, flexibility and quality.
The Front Project CEO, Jane Hunt, said the research reveals surprising insights while providing a deeper understanding of what ECEC choices and experiences are like for families.
“Families see early learning as vitally important to their lives and understand the multiple benefits that it delivers, but the system could work better for them,” Ms Hunt explained.
“Around 80 percent of families believe that access to ECEC supports mental health and wellbeing for the whole family – this is on top of supporting children’s learning and development and assisting parents to work.”
The report demonstrated parents and carers frustration with finding adequate and affordable care.
“Finding early learning that is the right fit can be stressful. Parents feel like they lack genuine choice after taking into account issues surrounding affordability, available places and alignment with individual family needs,” said Ms Hunt.
“Costs are getting in the way of work opportunities for parents with over 70 percent saying ECEC costs are a barrier to finding or returning to work, working more hours or retraining or studying.
The report found there is strong agreement that the existing system needs to change. Parents want to see government intervention to improve affordability, ensure appropriate geographic spread and increase availability outside of usual work hours.
Some proposals for the government to improve family experiences include increasing the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), ensuring the market operates effectively, providing new ways to help parents determine quality care and taking steps towards facilitating two years of preschool to increase school readiness.
