Shorten’s kinder proposal will improve the development of Children

G8 Education CEO Gary Carroll has called the Australian Labor Party’s proposed two-year kindergarten funding “a tangible commitment to improving the social, cognitive and emotional development of Australian children”.

Speaking exclusively with The Sector following the recent funding proposal announcement by Labor leader Bill Shorten, Mr Carroll said the increased funding had the potential to realise the recommendations raised in the Lifting our Game report commissioned by the Australian Government.

The Lifting our Game report found that quality early childhood education makes a significant contribution to achieving educational excellence in schools. There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that participation in quality early childhood education improves school readiness and lifts NAPLAN results and PISA scores.

Children who participate in high-quality early childhood education are more likely to complete Year 12, less likely to repeat grades, and less likely to require additional support.

Broader impacts of high-quality early childhood education identified in the report include:

• Higher levels of employment, income and financial security
• Improved health outcomes
• Reduced crime
• Skill building as required for the jobs of the future.

Mr Carroll said that G8 currently applies Universal Access funding is in a variety of ways, with the main areas being early childhood teacher (ECT) wages, and acquisition of resources for its centres. He said that any consideration of how future funding may be used to enhance G8’s services would be dependent on learning the details of the additional funding packages.  

G8 recently announced an above award rate increase to all ECTs at its centres across Australia, and outlines key employee benefits – which aim to recognise the contribution ECTs make in the lives of children and families – on its website.