Starting Better: A guarantee for young children and families, is a major report from the Centre For Policy Development.
It draws on extensive consultation and research from the first year of our Early Childhood Development Initiative, including the work of the Early Childhood Development Council, an informal intergovernmental body comprising senior officials from all jurisdictions, ECD experts and sector leaders.
Starting Better proposes a Guarantee for Young Children and Families – a new pillar of Australia’s social deal that entitles every child in Australia and their family to:
- Three days free or low-cost quality early education from birth until school, with more days available at minimal cost. This begins as soon as families need it. This means all children will experience the lifelong benefits of quality early education
- More paid parental leave, shared between partners. This will give babies time with their parents in the crucial first year of life, and it will give families the confidence to balance work and home more easily and equally
- Support for children and parents from within their community, including up to 25 visits from maternal and child health nurses
The Guarantee will simplify and integrate a currently confusing and expensive array of services and schemes, sharing information, tracking progress, and putting the needs of children and their families at the centre of Australia’s early childhood system.
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