Not unlike the US, Australia has an artificial boundary between child care and preschool. However, matters are even more complicated in Australia because there is no consistent language for naming preschool. Australia has 8 states and territories, and each jurisdiction has a different name for preschool. In some states, preschool is called preschool. In other states, it is called kindergarten, but it is for 4 year olds–other states have 5 year old kindergarten. In other states, it is named “reception” or “pre-reception” or pre-year 1. This makes collecting data on preschool attendance difficult. It also makes much of the existing data unreliable due to the wide variation in the terminology.
Finding a consistent language for preschool will be critical as the Universal Preschool Access policy in Australia goes forward. I am working closely with the governement to develop recommendations for collecting data on preschool, child care, and other the other names for what kids do before they enter formal school.
Several government departments have been working hard to push forward a paid parental leave program. It seems it just might get through this year.
Maternal employment rates in Australia are lower than in the US. This might be due to the generous income supports to families as well as Baby Bonuses in Australia. Even with the lower rates of maternal employment, Australian families utilize child care at similar rates to American families. This is in large part because of cultural norms around center-based care being important for all children. In addition, the government provides a large subsidy for all families for child care regardless of income.
I am beginning to learn a lot about Australian early childhood and child care policy. It has been an interesting experience. In Australia, they provide generous child care benefits to all families. They provide a wide range of both supply- and demand-side subsidies. In meetings with several child care division managers, we discussed the struggle to balance the dual purposes of child care–work support and child development. Further, many disadvantaged children are not accessing child care and early childhood education, but more often in rural and remote communities this is due to cultural concerns about child care and access to high quality stable care.
Welcome to the first blog post.
I have been working hard getting oriented to Australia. I began my appointment at the Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) on June 1. Thus far, I have spent most of my time securing an office, computer, ID, phone, and access to the relevant data. I have an office, computer, and an ID, but no phone or data yet. I am exicted to get started on the research which includes examining early education and care experiences of Australian children.
Stay tuned for future updates regarding things I am learning and doing here in Australia.
Comments (0) 